GOP leaders weigh ‘further steps’ to get Bannon to talk
WASHINGTON — After a Thursday interview they called “frustrating,” House Republican leaders are weighing “further steps” to force former top White House strategist Steve Bannon to answer investigators’ questions in their probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 election — including potentially declaring him in contempt of Congress.
Bannon was interrogated for 20 hours over two days this week as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, according to a person familiar with the process.
The person, who declined to be named because that person is not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly, said Bannon answered every question that was put to him by Mueller’s team. That’s in contrast to the Thursday interview with the House intelligence committee, where Bannon declined to answer some of lawmakers’ questions, despite a subpoena.
“I am not authorized to answer that question,” Bannon said dozens of times, according to two sources with knowledge of the closed-door hearing.
It was Bannon’s second appearance before the House committee, and his response suggested ongoing coordination between Bannon and the White House despite his estrangement with President Donald Trump.
Intelligence committee member Mike Conaway, R-Texas, said Thursday that he, House Speaker Paul Ryan R-Wis., and a few others would decide whether to accept Bannon’s legal arguments against answering the panel’s questions or take punitive measures such as declaring him in contempt.
Asked whether he was ready to issue a contempt citation for Bannon, Conaway said only: “I think he should answer our questions.”
Mueller is investigating whether there was any coordination between Trump’s campaign and Russians who meddled in the 2016 election, and also whether there have been any efforts to obstruct the ongoing FBI probe into those contacts. The House panel is investigating the meddling and whether Trump’s campaign was involved.
Because Bannon was one of Trump’s top advisers, both Mueller and the lawmakers were expected to question him about key events during his time in the White House, including Trump’s firings of former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former FBI Director James Comey.
After Bannon’s roughly three-hour interview on Capitol Hill, Republicans on the House panel were weighing whether to hold him in contempt.
Lawmakers of both parties Bannon said would answer only 25 questions that had been approved by the White House when asked about any events in the time period after Trump’s election.
Bannon was already under subpoena as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been critical of the White House’s sweeping interpretation of executive privilege and its contention that pretty much everything is off limits until the president says it’s not.
The fight between Congress and the White House over the privilege issue has centered around Bannon, an outsize figure in Trump’s campaign and White House and an inspiration to some conservatives as he has publicly battled the Republican establishment. He was fired from the White House last summer, and more recently had a falling out with Trump after the January publication of a book in which he criticized Trump family members.
Nevertheless, Bannon has followed White House direction as the House lawmakers have sought to talk to him. At issue is whether Bannon can talk about the presidential transition, his time at the White House and communications with Trump and others since he left last summer.
Rep. Adam Schiff, DCalif., said he thinks Bannon’s non-answers were all an attempt to draw out and block the Russia probe.