After getting a letter from erstwhile President Trump assuring him he would forego his executive privilege, former White House chief advisor Steve Bannon notified the January 6 panel he was prepared to appear.
Per a letter from his attorney, Bob Costello, that was obtained by CNN, Bannon stated he would like to give testimony in public.
Bannon is scheduled to go on trial for criminal contempt charges later in the month for disobeying a previous subpoena by the committee.
Steve Bannon, who defied a congressional subpoena and is set to go to trial on criminal contempt charges, told the Jan. 6 committee he is now willing to testify, ideally at a public hearing. https://t.co/3YJFqRTJjF
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) July 10, 2022
According to Costello, even if Bannon has been unwavering in his principles, the current circumstances are different.
Bannon is not only willing, but instead prefers, to provide testimony during the next public hearing.
Hostile Treatment
After observing how cruelly Bannon and others have been handled, President Trump said on Saturday he was relinquishing his executive privilege in a letter sent to Bannon.
According to the source, when Bannon was initially served with the subpoena to appear and deliver papers, he immediately cited executive privilege and refused to comply.
However, Trump observed how unjustly Bannon and others had been treated, how much money had to be spent on legal fees, and all of the trauma Bannon must be experiencing.
He concluded Bannon should not have been treated the way he was.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), a committee member, admitted the panel got the letter from Bannon’s attorney at about midnight. Still, she stated the panel had not reviewed the letter’s content.
On the other hand, Lofgren did mention the committee would most likely try to schedule a private deposition. According to Lofgren, in the ordinary course of events, they conduct depositions.
This continues hour after hour. They expect comprehensive responses to all of their inquiries; they are unable to accomplish that in a live setting.
Charged With Contempt
Bannon has been charged with two counts of contempt of Congress for his refusal to comply with a subpoena issued by a committee of the House on January 6, last year.
Bannon has been quoted as saying he cannot cooperate because Trump said he is entitled to executive privilege.
Federal prosecutors shot down the claim, saying Bannon was not working for Trump when the attack on the Capitol on January 6th happened.
Steve Bannon was not working in the White House on January 6th therefor Executive Privilege never applied to his alleged role in the Insurrection and there’s nothing for Trump to waive.
— Chris Hahn (@ChristopherHahn) July 8, 2022
Two separate charges were lodged against Bannon by the Department of Justice in the month of November.
The first complaint against Bannon was that he refused to testify. The second claim against him was he refused to hand over essential documents to the panel so they might review them.
His trial was supposed to begin later this month, but he requested for it to be deferred on the basis that an overwhelming amount of coverage would prohibit him from having a fair trial.
The trial of Bannon is scheduled to get underway on July 18th.
