Bannon to defy subpoena from January 6 committee, citing Trump's 'direction' - CNNPolitics
Category: News & Politics
Via: jbb • 3 years ago • 68 commentsBy: Sara Murray, Katelyn Polantz and Ryan Nobles (CNN)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
(CNN)Steve Bannon will not cooperate with the House select committee investigating January 6, his lawyer said in an email obtained by CNN that cites former President Donald Trump's claim of executive privilege.
Bannon's attorney told the committee that "the executive privileges belong to President Trump" and "we must accept his direction and honor his invocation of executive privilege." The letter from Bannon's legal team goes on to say it may be up to the courts to decide whether he is ultimately forced to cooperate -- essentially daring the House to sue or hold him in criminal contempt. "As such, until these issues are resolved, we are unable to respond to your request for documents and testimony," wrote the lawyer, Robert Costello. The letter, sent to the committee Thursday, came after a lawyer for former President Donald Trump told subpoena targets, including Bannon, not to comply with congressional requests for testimony and documents that could concern privileged material. Read More Here's what happens if a congressional subpoena is ignored (and what it means for the January 6 committee) The claim that Bannon could be covered by the former President's privilege is unusual because Bannon was not working for the federal government during the period surrounding the January 6 insurrection. Privilege claims normally apply to close officials around the president and deliberations between government employees, and Bannon was fired from his role as a White House adviser in 2017. Many legal experts say Bannon, as a private citizen, would have no standing to block a subpoena by claiming executive privilege. Bannon's legal team also indicated Bannon would comply with court rulings on the matter. "We will comply with the directions of the courts, when and if they rule on these claims of both executive and attorney client privileges," according to the letter. "Since these privileges belong to President Trump and not to Mr. Bannon, until these issues are resolved, Mr. Bannon is legally unable to comply with your subpoena requests for documents and testimony."
Committee says Meadows and Patel are 'engaging'
Bannon and other Trump associates were sent subpoenas by the House select committee late last month for private depositions and records. All document requests were due Thursday and the former Trump staffers were asked to appear before the committee next week. Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, and Vice Chair Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican, said that former Trump officials Mark Meadows and Kash Patel are "so far engaging" with the panel. Patel told CNN in a statement Friday that "I can confirm that I have responded to the subpoena in a timely manner." "Beyond that, I will not comment on my confidential dealings with the Committee. But I can assure you that I will continue to tell the truth and remain focused on Fight With Kash to help any American who has been censored and misrepresented online," he continued. It is not clear if former deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino has responded. Takeaways from the Senate Judiciary Committee report on Trump's attempted coup All four were also sent letters from Trump's attorney this week advising them he intended to defend what he viewed as an infringement of executive privilege. In the letter viewed by CNN, an attorney for Trump advised them to "where appropriate, invoke any immunities and privileges" and not provide documents or testimony. A spokesman for the committee declined to comment. A legal fight could take quite a bit of time, and Democrats could be facing a deadline of the 2022 midterm elections. "While Mr. Meadows and Mr. Patel are, so far, engaging with the Select Committee, Mr. Bannon has indicated that he will try to hide behind vague references to privileges of the former President. The Select Committee fully expects all of these witnesses to comply with our demands for both documents and deposition testimony," Thompson and Cheney said. In their statement, Thompson and Cheney make clear that the committee will act "swiftly" against those who refuse to comply with a lawful subpoena, including by seeking to hold them in criminal contempt, as they try to squash concerns that the committee will not act forcefully enough. "Though the Select Committee welcomes good-faith engagement with witnesses seeking to cooperate with our investigation, we will not allow any witness to defy a lawful subpoena or attempt to run out the clock, and we will swiftly consider advancing a criminal contempt of Congress referral," they said.
Bannon's relationship with Trump
Bannon, who was Trump's former White House chief strategist, spoke with Trump in December, urging him to focus on January 6 -- the date of the official certification on the Electoral College vote by Congress, according to authors Bob Woodward and Robert Costa in their book "Peril." "'We're going to bury Biden on January 6th,'" Bannon is quoted as saying. Steve Bannon was knee-deep in January 6 Woodward and Costa also reported that Trump called Bannon following his contentious January 5 meeting with then-Vice President Mike Pence, in which the vice president said he does not have the authority to block certification of Joe Biden's win. In its letter to Bannon, the select committee cited communications he had with Trump in December "and potentially other occasions" in which Bannon reportedly urged Trump "to plan for and focus his efforts on January 6." To Meadows, the committee wrote that investigation has revealed "credible evidence of your involvement in events within the scope of the Select Committee's inquiry," citing his close proximity to Trump on the day of the attack. The committee also wants to learn more about Meadows' efforts to aid overturning the 2020 election results. When the subpoenas were first issued, House Select Chairman Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, had told CNN's Manu Raju that criminal contempt is "on the table" if the individuals the committee has sent subpoenas to do not cooperate. This story has been updated with additional details Friday.
CNN's Annie Grayer, Zachary Cohen, Whitney Wild and Veronica Stracqualursi contributed to this report.
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Trump and Bannon need to do a perp walk together!
Bannon will deny the subpoena citing Trump, Bannon will be arrested. Bannon will sue Trump because he caused Bannon to be arrested.
Just follow the money$$$.
Quite imaginative.
He may try, but he can't as he was never tied to the trump administration, (he was never employed by the US Government). He doesn't have a leg to stand on.
Also, it's a legal subpoena and like trump, he is nothing more than a private citizen that cannot claim executive privilege. If he declines the subpoena, he's screwed, if he testifies, he's screwed...
Something something...those who lie down with dogs..
Just a polite reminder.
Yeah, but that's different..... you know....
Um, I was referring to your fantasy scenario where he sues Trump.
LOL
Please cite which specific Republicans held her in prison.
I know you must have some names after making that claim.
Will you be bothering to actually charge them with any offenses?
Or just going to be judge, jury, and executioner?
Since you asked, Steve Bannon has now been charged with criminal contempt of Congress...
He can't expect Trump's pardon this time round.
And Trump is still listed as an unindicted co-conspirator.
Well, one day we'll see if people go to prison JUST because they are indicted or charged.
Last I checked, shit don't work like that.
At least for Bannon the perp walk comes next...
You have now moved the goalpost across the field, down the street, and thrown it off the cliff.
Not till Tuesday when they meet if then. Might I suggest you read what you cite?
No , it is merely my attempt to add a little sanity and common sense and facts to your posts.
The irony is that we don't have to wait for 'one day' since right NOW, thousands of people go to prison after being indicted and charged. Ask Paul Manafort, some of the Capitol insurrectionists, and the many thousands who are in prison because they can't afford bail.
The irony is that ONLY people who have been charged, go to jail.
What exactly would they be doing a perp walk for? Didn't the FBI already investigate this and find nothing?
No, but Congress is investigating January 6th...
That's right, and the FBI had already investigated this and found Trump not responsible.
What do you think the yahoo activist liberals in Congress will find that the FBI did not?
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When did the FBI clear Trump for January 6th?
So it's just another unfounded partisan thing again. Just like Meuller's "investigation".
No, all of America saw it with their own eyes!
No, that was false news spread by the gop...
Well the Senate cleared him in the second impeachment
Nobody is falling for that lousy dodge now...
What lousy dodge? Facts and the truth are now a lousy dodge? You have a strange way of looking at things. Oh wait. I know why. Buuuuut Trump Carry on LOL
Give us all a break JJ.
The Senate trial was dead on arrival due to tribal BS.
The Senate trial allowed, no evidence, no testimony no nothing. It was a complete joke.
Jesus Jim, you can't be introducing FACTS like that into a conversation and destroy their weak-ass narrative so quickly!
Then why is Congress investigating Jan 9th?
The whole proceeding was dead due to tribal BS. Going as far back as the 2016 election.
What happened on Jan 9th?
The senate trial was brought on by the tribal bs of the democratic house.
Link to the investigation of Jan 9???
Bitch about that to the clowns trying the case.
WTF does the Senate impeachment trial have to do with an FBI investigation Jim? Please be specific.
Don't you love how the gop shows their ugly mean obnoxious bigoted asses to the voters?
What about the clown refusing to cooperate?
Bannon reportedly told Trump that they would "bury" Joe Biden on Jan 6.
Lock him up.
I hope they do find Bannon in contempt of congress and then prosecute him. The fucking troll deserves a little prison time.
The pic reminds me of a hobo Santa.
He's a walking talking pile of garbage.
At least he would be safe in prison. Not even the most desperate of Bubba's would tap that.
If you take away the hair and multiple shirts, he kind of looks like Homer Simpson.
OMG - DONUTS......
Exactly.
So now the problem lies in the current SC and if they use precedent or bow down to the ass that is Trump.
He just has to hold out until mid terms. After that the Jan 6th commission will be in the dumpster where it belongs. Along with the careers of Pelosi's two TDS driven Republican lap dogs.
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That's where trumpturd and Bannon belong - in a dumpster.
I have noticed some progressive liberals posting this picture.
Do they all have an abnormal fascination with Trump's ass?
Isn't him living in the penthouse of their minds rent-free enough any more?
Sad thing is it has NOTHING to do with the topic and was flagged as such and allowed to stand. The topic is Bannon
Under the rules here, if I understand correctly, a word used in an article makes it on topic.
I fully expect to have a debate one day with one of the wordsmiths here when they have no other logical argument and decide to argue what "is" means.
I learned to identify subjects over 50 years ago.
SMH, sadly
[As the seeder, JBB is free to expand the topic to include whatever he likes. Now, if he were posting Trump memes while simultaneously declaring Trump to be off topic, his flags would be dismissed. The flags of those attempting to limit the topic when it is not their place to do so will also be dismissed.]
Lindell was not mentioned in the article but as you say, just another reason to exhibit TDS riddled memes
What else do they really have to offer besides silly memes?
So that's the plan, stack the proceedings with Donald's capos and soldiers? Part III?
LOCK HIM UP!
Perhaps he can get another pardon from the not chief executive of the US.
Perhaps I mis-read. Was it 'direction' or 'erection'? None the less, according to some it would fall into the category of 'semi flaccid'.
As far as Bannon, he was once a US Naval Officer. How did that happen?
Does he still have his passport? Claim political asylum in Hungary, Bannon. Be off with you.
He is probably hiding under Trump's bed at Mar A Largo like that other ahole they tracked down there with a subpoena.
The bed was Melania's.