War Room host Steve Bannon’s We Build the Wall fraud trial in New York has been postponed until February after prosecutors requested additional time to introduce new evidence in the case.
According to the National Pulse, Judge April Newbauer had initially refused to postpone the date. The trial is now set to begin on February 25, and Judge Newbauer said, “We’re not changing [the date] again.”
The case was brought forth by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and alleges that Bannon defrauded donors to We Build the Wall. The initiative was created during Donald Trump’s first White House term to privately fund the creation of the border wall while construction efforts were being held up by Congress. Bannon has denied any wrongdoing.
Attorneys for Bannon say that the additional evidence will require additional time to respond as they “may now need to offer testimony and/or evidence countering” the claims against him.
According to ABC News, prosecutors have alleged that Bannon told donors to We Build the Wall that 100 percent of their donations would go towards building the wall, but around $15 million was instead funneled to himself and the campaign’s president Brian Kolfage.
Bannon’s attorneys have said that their client was appropriately reimbursed for legitimate expenses, with defense attorney John Carman saying, “The money that he was taking was money he was entitled to take.”