Steve Bannon, longtime alley of former President Donald Trump, has ceased communications with his team of attorneys in an attempt to delay his upcoming trial in New York State, according to the Daily Beast.
Bannon is facing a trial for operating a right-wing nonprofit organization that was supposed to be donating its fund to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Bannon has not been in contact with his lawyers for months, and has not responded to any communication overtures. The Daily Beast described the move as a "bald-faced delay tactic."
The court led by Justice Juan Merchan has now given Bannon until Feb. 28 to identify a new set of attorneys to replace the ones he has quit communicating with no signal that will change.
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Merchan called Bannon out on his obvious delay tactic but still granted Bannon the delay to switch attorneys.
One of the lead attorneys for Bannon, David Schoen, was also his lead attorney when Bannon was found guilty for contempt of court. Some political insiders thought the verdict may have drawn a wedge between the two, but Schoen was fully compliant in the delay tactic during the hearing, stating that the communication lapse is a good reason for the delay as Bannon has not even provided a reason for the disconnect.
That rationale was quickly struck down by Merchan who used prior legal precedent to reinforce the fact that a defendant's selection of an attorney cannot be used to delay or avoid prosecution.
