Bannon subpoenaed for Russia grand jury
MUELLER REPORTEDLY RATCHETING UP PRESSURE ON FORMER CHIEF STRATEGIST
Stephen Bannon, President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist, has been subpoenaed by special counsel Robert Mueller to testify before a grand jury as part of the investigation into possible links between Trump’s associates and Russia, The New York Times is reporting, citing a person with direct knowledge of the matter.
The move marked the first time Mueller is known to have used a grand jury subpoena to seek information from a member of Trump’s inner circle. Mueller’s office has used subpoenas before to seek information on Trump’s associates and their possible ties to Russia or other foreign governments. The subpoena could be a negotiating tactic; Mueller is likely to allow Bannon to forgo the grand jury appearance if he agrees to instead be questioned by investigators about ties between Trump’s associates and Russia and about the president’s conduct in office, according to the person, who would not be named discussing the case.
But it was not clear why Mueller treated Bannon differently than the dozen administration officials who were interviewed recently and were never served with a subpoena.
On Tuesday, Bannon testified behind closed doors before the House Intelligence Committee, which is also investigating Russia’s role in the 2016 election and its ties with the Trump campaign.
The panel is aiming to find out Trump’s thinking when he fired FBI director James Comey, according to a person familiar with what the panel was planning to ask Bannon.
The committee also planned to press Bannon on other “executive actions” taken by Trump that have drawn interest from congressional investigators prying into ties between Trump’s campaign and Russian operatives, said the person, who wasn’t authorized to speak on the record about the closed-door session and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Those key elements bear directly on Mueller’s criminal investigation. He is charged with determining if collusion existed between the Trump campaign and Russia and whether the president obstructed justice by firing Comey or by taking other actions to thwart investigators.
However, the committee had to resort to subpoena after Bannon refused to answer some questions, claiming executive privilege, Bloomberg News reported.
Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes confirmed to reporters that he authorized the subpoena after other lawmakers said Bannon declined to answer some of their questions.
Representative Tom Rooney, one of two main Republicans on the committee, said the former strategist’s efforts to invoke executive privilege in the committee created tensions. “I certainly think the committee respects executive privilege,” he said, but the question is whether it applies to events in the transition before a president takes office or to discussion in the White House about what happened during the campaign.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions also has invoked executive privilege when asked by congressional committees about some of his conversations with Trump. Democrats have countered that only the president can assert executive privilege and Trump hasn’t done so.
“As with all congressional inquiries touching upon the White House, Congress must consult with the White House prior to obtaining confidential material,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters Tuesday.
The combative Bannon was quoted in the book Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff as calling Donald Trump Jr.’s 2016 meeting with Russian nationals “treasonous” and “unpatriotic.”