Bannon Accuses Manhattan D.A. of Being ‘Vindictive’ in Fraud Case
The New York Times
The former Trump adviser, who faces trial in March, said that he was singled out for his politics. He took aim at the district attorney in much the way the president has.
With his fraud trial in Manhattan a little over a month away, Stephen K. Bannon, a former adviser to President Trump, is taking a page from the president’s legal playbook.
Mr. Bannon has delayed the proceeding multiple times. He has used courthouse hallways to broadcast his views. And in a filing on Tuesday, his lawyer, Arthur Aidala, accused the Manhattan district attorney of political persecution.
In the motion, Mr. Bannon’s team said that the case should be dismissed because it was “vindictive” and an “unconstitutional selective enforcement of the law.”
The motion made explicit reference to the history of the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, who won a conviction of President Trump in May. It also targeted New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, whose civil fraud lawsuit resulted in a hefty fine for President Trump.
A spokeswoman with the district attorney’s office declined to comment on Tuesday, saying the office would respond in court filings.
Mr. Bannon’s strategy is familiar to those who have closely followed the president’s legal travails. Mr. Trump accused both New York offices of persecution during their yearslong investigations into his conduct. Though he lost both cases, Mr. Trump was able to convince many supporters during his re-election campaign that he was unjustly targeted.
