Steve Bannon Testimony: Ex-White House Chief Strategist Willing To Talk About US Capitol Riot, But There's a Catch

Steve Bannon informed the House select committee looking into the January 6, 2021 insurrection on Saturday that he is now willing to testify, ideally at a public hearing. Bannon ignored a congressional subpoena and is due to stand trial on criminal contempt charges.

The House Select Committee and federal prosecutors argue that Bannon was never given carte blanche to ignore a congressional subpoena due to that privilege claim. Still, Bannon altered his mind after obtaining a letter from former president Donald Trump waiving executive privilege.

Steve Bannon Says He's Willing To Testify Before January 6 Panel

Bannon was accused of criminally contempting Congress on two instances last year. He has insisted that he was allowed to ignore his congressional subpoena in order to support Trump's alleged privilege claims. Federal prosecutors and other legal experts, however, have argued that Bannon is not protected by this privilege because he resigned from his role as White House chief strategist years before the Capitol riot and that this did not grant him the authority to withhold any documents or testimony from the committee.

Trump's updated letter and a letter from Bannon's attorney Bob Costello were delivered by Bannon's staff to the January 6 committee over one night. The committee hasn't yet had a chance to debate Bannon's letter, but Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat who serves on the January 6 panel, said on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday that "I expect that we will be hearing from him and there are many concerns that we have for him," according to CNN.

Trump's letter reveals his annoyance with the steady stream of disclosures coming out of the hearings and his desire for friends to have a dialogue.

In his letter to Bannon, he claims that although he used executive privilege to block the initial subpoena to his former aide last fall, he has since "watched how unfairly you and others have been treated, having to spend vast sums of money on legal fees, and all the trauma you must be going through for the love of your country, and out of respect for the President's Office."

Committee Says Privilege for Bannon Is Not Valid

The committee has contended that because Bannon was a private citizen on January 6, 2021, assertions of presidential privilege are invalid. The committee has also stated that Bannon, a vocal supporter of untrue allegations that the 2020 election was rigged, was compelled to answer the subpoena in some manner, such as by invoking privilege claims on a question-by-question basis rather than by declining to do so.

The committee may not accept Bannon's terms, such as a public hearing, and testimony may not be forthcoming as a result of his offer. Trump, who has frequently asked that the hearings publicize his accusations about voter fraud, which have been thoroughly debunked, has yet to call any actual witnesses who are on his side. The Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination is still available to Bannon, as it has been for previous witnesses during closed-door testimony, as per Washington Post.

The sitting president, Joe Biden, had made it plain that he would not utilize executive privilege in the committee's examination regarding White House topics. To weaken the Justice Department's case against him before his trial begins on July 18, it's likely that Bannon is offering to testify.

He could spend up to a year in jail and pay a fine between $100 and $100,000 if found guilty. Following a recommendation from the House of Representatives, the Justice Department charged two former Trump aides with contempt of Congress, including Bannon. Former Trump staffer Dan Scavino and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who the House also voted to submit for charges, have not been targeted by federal prosecutors. Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland, was less candid than Lofgren when questioned about the likelihood of Bannon testifying, Daily Mail reported.

@YouTube

Tags

Donald Trump, White House