Erstwhile President Donald Trump is contemplating writing a letter to former chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon to state that he is relinquishing his assumption of executive privilege.
This could make it possible for Bannon to testify before the House select council looking into the pro-Trump riot at the Capitol.
The claim Trump exercised his right to executive privilege in Sept 2021, when Bannon was initially requested to testify before the House committee, will be restated in the letter.
If Bannon and the panel can come to a deal, however, it would indicate the former president is now prepared to give up that claim, the legality of which has been contested.
This will be the case if Bannon successfully negotiates the conditions of his appearance before the panel.
Why would trump do this?? Trump is considering sending a letter to Stephen K. Bannon saying that he is waiving his claim of executive privilege, potentially clearing the way for his former chief strategist to testify before the House select committee???
— Sue Massa (@SueMassa256) July 9, 2022
According to a report published on Friday by The Washington Post, the letter was recounted by three people who were acquainted with it, but spoke on the condition of anonymity because the subject matter is sensitive.
An Arrangement
According to a newspaper that cited three people with knowledge of the situation, Trump may send Bannon a letter declaring he’s prepared to give up his assertion if Bannon achieves an arrangement with the committee to testify.
Second, it obliterated the basis for the assertion of executive privilege from Trump cronies Stephen K. Bannon and Mark Meadows. They are looking at conviction for contempt of Congress, as will other witnesses attempting to cover for Trump.
— Jennifer "Pro-privacy" Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) December 12, 2021
The House Committee sent Bannon a subpoena on September 6, but he didn’t show up. He was then charged with contempt of court.
In November, the Department of Justice brought two separate allegations against Bannon.
The first charge was for Bannon’s refusal to testify; the second charge was for Bannon’s refusal to hand over relevant papers for the panel to examine.
His trial was scheduled to begin later in July, but he asked for it to be postponed on the basis that an extreme dose of fanfare would prevent him from receiving a fair trial.
According to a report in The Post, some of Trump’s aides advised him not to send the letter.
Executive Privileges
On many occasions, Trump used executive privilege to block current and former members of his team from testifying.
A representative for Trump and an attorney representing Bannon did not immediately respond to demands for comment after being given the opportunity to do so.
The explosive testimony of former White House assistant Cassidy Hutchinson, who gave insight into Trump’s temperament and awareness of what was unfolding at the Capitol, came before the release of the report.
During sworn testimony in front of the panel on January 6, Hutchinson affirmed President Trump lunged at the wheel of his SUV, prompting Secret Service to tell him he could not go to the Capitol on that day.
Although they have not provided public testimony, there are many people engaged in the case who disagree with Hutchinson’s statements.
The next session for the committee is set to take place on Tuesday.
