Former President Trump has said he has relinquished the executive’s privilege to allow Steve Bannon to testify before the Jan. 6 committee, according to a letter he sent Saturday to his former adviser.
News: The Justice Department said Trump’s attorney, Justin Clark, told the DOJ on June 29 that “the former president never invoked the executive’s privilege over any particular information or material.” with Bannon, according to a motion filed in DC District Court early Monday. and obtained by Hugo Lowell of The Guardian.
Why it matters: Last November, a grand federal jury charged Bannon with two counts of contempt of Congress for failing to file a subpoena issued by the Jan. 6 panel.
Leading the news: In the letter, Trump explained how he had invoked executive privilege when Bannon first received the committee’s summons.
- However, he said he decided to reverse his position after seeing “how unfair” Bannon and others had been treated, “having to spend large sums of money on legal fees and all the trauma you have to go through for the love of the your country “.
- If a time and place for the witness could be agreed upon, Trump wrote that he would relinquish the executive’s privilege, “allowing you to enter and testify truthfully and fairly, at the request of the Bullies Selection Committee and political pirates “.
In a letter to Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), Who chairs the Jan. 6 committee, a Bannon attorney wrote that his client would be willing to testify and would prefer to do so at a public hearing.
- “Mr. Bannon has had no change of stance or heart,” Robert Costello wrote, but noted that “circumstances have now changed,” referring to Trump’s decision to relinquish executive privilege.
What they’re saying: The DOJ said in its court filing on Monday that Bannon’s “last-minute efforts to testify, nearly nine months after his breach — he has yet to make any effort to produce records — are irrelevant to to whether he deliberately refused to comply. in October 2021 with the summons of the Selective Committee “.
- Therefore, any evidence or argument “related to your eleven-hour efforts should be excluded at trial,” the motion adds.
Current state: The January 6 committee’s condemnatory testimony has been attracting millions of viewers and has attempted to emphasize the direct links between Trump and the January 6 violence.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with details of the DOJ’s judicial filing.