(TargetLiberty.org) – Judge Juan Merchan who oversaw former President Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial has been removed because of a scheduling conflict from the criminal fraud trial of former presidential adviser Steve Bannon.
Merchan had presided over Bannon’s case since September 2022, which was the time of the arraignment.
On Tuesday, CNN reported that according to an email by Judge Ellen Biben, Merchan who had been assigned to the trial is set to preside over a six-defendant trial meant to last for at least three months starting on September 16 of this year. Biben pointed out that this reassignment is going to serve the Court best.
Merchan is going to be replaced by Judge April Newbauer, who had previously set bail at $5,000, far below the prosecutor’s request, for a man who had been charged with attempted burglary and assaulting a woman. The man was later charged with murdering the woman, her friend, and her dog according to a report from the Washington Examiner.
Bannon is set to appear before her on July 23.
On Friday, Trump’s former adviser had requested from the Supreme Court to have his prison sentence delayed. Originally the sentence was set to start on July 1 when he was called to report to a Connecticut prison. That case relates to Bannon defying a subpoena from the House select committee that was tasked with investigating the Jan. 6, Capitol attack.
The New York case relates to the accusations that Bannon had defrauded donors through the “We Build the Wall” fundraising campaign.
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