WASHINGTON, July 10 (Reuters) – Steve Bannon, a former close adviser to Donald Trump, said he is willing to testify before a congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He should be tried for contempt of Congress.
In a letter to the committee seen by Reuters, Bannon’s lawyer, Robert Costello, wrote that the former president would waive the executive privilege claim cited by Bannon by refusing to appear before the committee. read more
Bannon, a prominent figure in right-wing media circles who served as Trump’s chief strategist in 2017, is scheduled to go on trial July 18 on two criminal contempt charges for refusing to testify or provide documents. read more
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The lawyer’s letter said Bannon wanted to testify publicly, but Democratic caucus Rep. Joe Lofgren told CNN the caucus usually takes testimony behind closed doors.
A video of Steve Bannon, a talk show host and former White House adviser to former President Donald Trump, is shown on screen during the third of eight scheduled public hearings by the US House Select Committee to investigate the attack on the United States on January 6. The States Capitol is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. June 16, 2022. REUTERS/Sarah Silbiger/File Photo
“It goes on for hours and hours. We want to get all our questions answered. You can’t do that in a live format,” Lofgren said. “He has so many questions.”
Throughout House committee hearings, videotaped clips of closed-door testimony by witnesses under oath have been shown to the public.
Trump was perplexed that none of his supporters testified in the committee hearing, separate from the investigation focused on the attacks by Trump supporters trying to block Trump’s certification of defeat in Congress by Joe Biden in November 2020. Election.
In a letter to Bannon seen by Reuters, Trump said he was waiving executive authority “because he saw how unfairly you and others have been treated.”
The House panel is set to hold public hearings on Tuesday and Thursday this week. read more
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Richard Cowan reports; Editing by Howard Koller
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