Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Stephen Bannon switching lawyers in border wall fund case

A prominent Washington lawyer defending President Donald Trump's former chief strategist against charges that he cheated donors to a southern border wall says he's no longer the right lawyer for the job

Via AP news wire
Wednesday 25 November 2020 17:57 EST

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A prominent Washington lawyer defending President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist against charges that he cheated donors to a southern border wall notified a judge Wednesday that he's no longer the right lawyer for the job.

Attorney William A. Burck sent a letter to the trial judge in Manhattan federal court to say that Burck and Stephen Bannon had amicably agreed that new lawyers would be better suited to Bannon's defense strategy.

He said Bannon is looking for new attorneys.

Bannon faces a May 24 trial on criminal charges alleging that Bannon and at least three others unlawfully raised over $25 million for the “We Build The Wall” campaign. The group sought to fund a southern border wall.

He has pleaded not guilty to charges alleging that thousands of investors were duped into thinking all of their donations would go toward the project, even though Bannon diverted over a million dollars, paying salary to one campaign official and personal expenses for himself.

Bannon was arrested in August aboard a luxury yacht off the coast of Connecticut. He is free on $5 million bail.

Burck is a former federal prosecutor who was a top lawyer for President George W. Bush. He also represented Bannon, former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and former White House counsel Don McGahn in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in