Bannon subpoenaed as part of Russian probe
Former Trump aide refusing to answer questions
WASHINGTON — 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.
The subpoena is a sign that Bannon is not personally the focus of the investigation. Justice Department rules allow prosecutors to subpoena the targets of investigations only in rare circumstances.
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 spoke on condition of anonymity.
Those key elements bear directly on Mueller’s criminal investigation who 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 committee “respects executive privilege,” he said, but questions whether it applies to events in the transition before a president takes office.