Steve Bannon’s former lawyers sue ex-Trump strategist over unpaid bills

WASHINGTON — A New York law firm says former Trump sidekick Steve Bannon stiffed it on legal fees of more than $480,000 — after its lawyers helped secure a presidential pardon for the 69-year-old in 2020.

Davidoff Hutcher & Citron, LLC filed its claim last week against the one-time top White House official, saying it was not paid for legal services to Bannon from November 2020 through November 2022. The firm’s partner, Robert Costello, regularly represented Bannon over that period.

“This action simply seeks payment of an outstanding bill for legal services rendered in the amount of $480,487.87, in addition to scheduling a hearing on the reasonable attorneys’ fees … in this litigation,” Davidoff wrote in its filing.

The law firm represented Bannon through a series of legal troubles, including an indictment that accused him of scamming $1 million from donors to the “We Build the Wall” GoFundMe campaign launched by US Air Force veteran Brian Kolfage, who lost three limbs in a 2004 bomb blast in Iraq.

Former President Donald Trump, 76, ultimately pardoned Bannon of the charges on his last day in office, which the law firm in its filing claimed to have helped secure.

The firm also represented the former aide during his battles with the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, which ended with Bannon being found guilty of contempt of Congress when he refused to comply with a subpoena.

“During the course of DHC’s representation of Defendant, DHC’s bills for fees
and expenses totaled $855,487.87,” the lawsuit claims. “Defendant paid only $375,000.00 of the total bill leaving a total of $480,487.87 outstanding.”

In addition to being chief strategist, Bannon served as Trump’s senior counsel when the 45th president took office in January 2017.

Trump later placed Bannon on the National Security Council’s Principals Committee, but he was ousted in April 2017 amid reported feuding with other advisers and left the White House four months later.