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Showing Original Post only (View all)Steve Bannon says he's willing to testify before January 6 committee after Trump waives claims of ex [View all]
Source: CNN
Steve Bannon who defied a congressional subpoena and is set to go to trial on criminal contempt charges told the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection on Saturday that he is now willing to testify, ideally at a public hearing, according to a letter obtained by CNN.
Bannons reversal comes after he received a letter from former President Donald Trump waiving executive privilege, although both the House select committee and federal prosecutors contend that privilege claim never gave Bannon carte blanche to ignore a congressional subpoena in the first place.
Bannon was charged last year with two counts of criminal contempt of Congress. He has argued that he was free to ignore his congressional subpoena in order to protect Trumps potential privilege claims. But federal prosecutors and other legal experts have argued that privilege does not apply to Bannon who left his White House gig as chief strategist years before the Capitol riot and did not give him the authority to refuse to provide any documents or testimony to the committee.
Bannons team provided Trumps new letter to the January 6 committee overnight, along with a letter from Bannon lawyer Bob Costello.
While Mr. Bannon has been steadfast in his convictions, circumstances have now changed, Costello wrote. Mr. Bannon is willing to, and indeed prefers, to testify at your public hearing.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/10/politics/steve-bannon-trump-january-6-executive-privilege/index.html
Rats.. ship.. sinking..