Topline
The House January 6 committee expects former White House strategist Steve Bannon to testify before the panel, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) said Sunday, one day after Bannon’s attorney revealed in a letter that former President Donald Trump will waive his claim of executive privilege and allow Bannon to testify.
Steve Bannon, advisor to former President Donald Trump, arrives at the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. … [+]
Key Facts
Lofgren told CNN’s State of the Union the committee received the letter from Bannon’s attorney around midnight on Sunday, and while the committee has not had a chance to discuss the letter, she said “there are many questions we have for him.”
Bannon’s attorney Robert J. Costello wrote in the letter—viewed by Forbes—that since Trump had waived claims of executive privilege, Bannon “is willing to, and indeed prefers,” to testify at a public hearing.
Trump wrote in an earlier letter to Bannon, also obtained by Forbes, he would be willing to waive executive privilege, a legal doctrine which allows presidents to keep some internal communications secret, because of “how unfairly you and others have been treated.”
Bannon’s deposition will likely be behind closed doors due to the length of the interview, Lofgren said.
Key Background
Bannon, 68, was subpoenaed by the committee in September over his alleged connection to the Capitol riot, by backing Trump’s unfounded claims of voter fraud and meeting with other Trump allies in the week leading up to the attack. Bannon refused to comply with the subpoena, arguing he could not testify before Congress because Trump invoked executive privilege, even though he was not a member of the Trump Administration on January 6. The House of Representatives voted to hold Bannon in contempt in October, and he was indicted on two criminal contempt of Congress charges in November. Bannon has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
What To Watch For
Bannon’s trial is scheduled to begin July 18, though another attorney for Bannon, David Schoen, has asked the judge to postpone the trial due to January 6 hearings scheduled for the next few weeks. It’s unclear whether his trial will move forward if he testifies to the committee.
Tangent
Former White House counsel Pat Cipollone, who sat for an “informal interview” before the committee in April but did not appear again, was subpoenaed by the committee at the end of June, and sat for an hours-long deposition Friday. Lofgren said on CNN the committee will play excerpts of his testimony during hearings scheduled for this week, and added he provided information on “basically all of the critical issues that we’re looking at,” including what Lofrgen described as Trump’s “dereliction of duty on the day of January 6.”
Further Reading
Judge Rejects Steve Bannon’s Motion To Toss Contempt Of Congress Charges (Forbes)
Bannon Pleads Not Guilty To Contempt Of Congress (Forbes)
Steve Bannon Indicted For Contempt Of Congress After Refusing To Comply With Subpoena (Forbes)
Trump White House Lawyer Pat Cipollone Agrees To Testify Before Jan. 6 Committee After Subpoena (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/annakaplan/2022/07/10/jan-6-committee-expects-testimony-from-steve-bannon-rep-lofgren-says/