Bannon Declares to Media: 'We're Going to Destroy the Democrat Party' Former adviser to former President Donald Trump, Steve Bannon leaves after a court appearance at New York State Supreme Court on Tuesday in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
By Jay Clemons | Tuesday, 04 October 2022 03:18 PM EDT
Steve Bannon had a simple message for Democrats Tuesday morning, shortly before being informed he would stand trial on fraud charges sometime next year.
"We're going to destroy the Democrat Party as a national political institution," said Bannon, while briefly talking to reporters at New York State Supreme Court Manhattan.
Bannon didn't go into greater detail on his proclamation, or whether this public pledge involves former President Donald Trump pursuing the White House again in 2024 — something for which Trump has yet to make official, even though he's the presumptive favorite to secure the Republican Party's nomination two years from now.
In the meantime, Bannon — a former Trump senior adviser — has a number of legal issues to sort through in the coming months.
His Tuesday appearance in Manhattan court revolved around charges of money laundering (two counts), attempt to commit conspiracy (three counts), and one count of scheming to defraud, allegedly related to the inner workings of his "We Build The Wall" nonprofit organization.
And back in July, Bannon was convicted on a contempt of Congress charge, after failing to comply with a subpoena from the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, unrest at the Capitol.
Bannon is slated for sentencing on the above conviction later this month.
During Tuesday's hearing, Acting Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan nixed Bannon's request for the trial being delayed until 2024.
Instead, that trial will likely begin in November 2023.
Judge Merchan also gave Bannon's legal team until February to peruse the evidence in the fraud case.
As Newsmax chronicled last week, prosecutors allege that Bannon duped donors who contributed to the "We Build The Wall" initiative, regarding construction of the wall at the United States-Mexico border.
Bannon allegedly promised private donors that all monies submitted would go to completing the southern border wall, which stretches from Texas to California.
Prosecutors have also accused Bannon of funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars to two other people — believed to be Brian Kolfage and Andrew Badolato, who pleaded guilty to federal charges in April.
The state-level charges in New York are separate from the federal charges Bannon once faced two years ago, before being pardoned by then-President Trump, prior to his leaving the White House in January 2021.
Bannon lawyer David Schoen reportedly said his client has become the target of political retribution from federal officials and plans to fight all charges to the end.
"[Bannon] is not guilty of anything that he's charged with, or of any crime," says Schoen.