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Trump-Russia: Steve Bannon to face grilling by House investigators Trump-Russia: Steve Bannon to face grilling by House investigators
(about 2 hours later)
One-time Trump confidant to testify about Trump team and Russia One-time Trump confidant to testify behind closed doors
Bannon told Michael Wolff Trump Tower meeting was ‘treasonous’Bannon told Michael Wolff Trump Tower meeting was ‘treasonous’
Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House – tell-all burns allFire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House – tell-all burns all
Guardian staff and agencies Sabrina Siddiqui in Washington and agencies
Tue 16 Jan 2018 13.10 GMT Tue 16 Jan 2018 15.57 GMT
Last modified on Tue 16 Jan 2018 14.28 GMT First published on Tue 16 Jan 2018 13.10 GMT
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The House intelligence committee will on Tuesday question Steve Bannon, the one-time confidant to Donald Trump who has fallen spectacularly from power.The House intelligence committee will on Tuesday question Steve Bannon, the one-time confidant to Donald Trump who has fallen spectacularly from power.
The House panel is speeding toward a conclusion of its interviews in its investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and alleged collusion between Trump aides and Moscow. The House panel is speeding toward a conclusion of its investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and alleged collusion between Trump aides and Moscow.
Bannon lost the backing of key Republican donors and his position at the hard-right Breitbart News after the publication – first reported by the Guardian – of an explosive book on the Trump White House by the journalist Michael Wolff.Bannon lost the backing of key Republican donors and his position at the hard-right Breitbart News after the publication – first reported by the Guardian – of an explosive book on the Trump White House by the journalist Michael Wolff.
The former White House strategist was a key source for the book, in which he was quoted as calling a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower between Trump aides including Donald Trump Jr and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner “treasonous”, “unpatriotic” and “bad shit”.
Three separate congressional committees are investigating Russian tampering in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign: the Senate judiciary and intelligence committees, and the House intelligence committee.Three separate congressional committees are investigating Russian tampering in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign: the Senate judiciary and intelligence committees, and the House intelligence committee.
The committees have the power to subpoena witnesses and documents. The list of witnesses to have been interviewed so far is long, and includes  Donald Trump Jr and Jared Kushner, as well as lesser figures such as former adviser Carter Page; Glenn Simpson, the co-founder of Fusion GPS, which commissioned the Steele dossier; and Ben Rhodes, the former Obama adviser.The committees have the power to subpoena witnesses and documents. The list of witnesses to have been interviewed so far is long, and includes  Donald Trump Jr and Jared Kushner, as well as lesser figures such as former adviser Carter Page; Glenn Simpson, the co-founder of Fusion GPS, which commissioned the Steele dossier; and Ben Rhodes, the former Obama adviser.
The most aggressive of the three committees so far, with a reasonable appearance of bipartisanship. Republican chairman Richard Burr of North Carolina said in October that the question of potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian operatives remained open. But Burr has also said the committee was not focused on “criminal acts” but a larger picture. The committee notably heard testimony from James Comey after the former FBI director was fired.The most aggressive of the three committees so far, with a reasonable appearance of bipartisanship. Republican chairman Richard Burr of North Carolina said in October that the question of potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian operatives remained open. But Burr has also said the committee was not focused on “criminal acts” but a larger picture. The committee notably heard testimony from James Comey after the former FBI director was fired.
Hampered early on by partisan disagreement about the scope of its investigation, the committee has interviewed top witnesses including Donald Trump Jr and has taken a particular focus on the firing of James Comey. But the committee has deferred to Mueller in the investigation of Paul Manafort and has interviewed fewer witnesses than others.Hampered early on by partisan disagreement about the scope of its investigation, the committee has interviewed top witnesses including Donald Trump Jr and has taken a particular focus on the firing of James Comey. But the committee has deferred to Mueller in the investigation of Paul Manafort and has interviewed fewer witnesses than others.
Riven by partisan conflict, the committee appears to be on track to produce two reports – one from each party. Chairman Devin Nunes recused himself from the inquiry in March after Trump tweeted that Barack Obama had "tapp[ed] my phones" and Nunes, in an apparent attempt to defend the president, revealed that some communications involving Trump aides had been intercepted by US surveillance programs.Riven by partisan conflict, the committee appears to be on track to produce two reports – one from each party. Chairman Devin Nunes recused himself from the inquiry in March after Trump tweeted that Barack Obama had "tapp[ed] my phones" and Nunes, in an apparent attempt to defend the president, revealed that some communications involving Trump aides had been intercepted by US surveillance programs.
The former White House strategist and Trump campaign manager was a key source for the book, in which he was quoted as calling a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower in New York City between Trump aides including Donald Trump Jr and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner “treasonous”, “unpatriotic” and “bad shit”.
The Trump aides believed the Russians at the meeting had “dirt” on Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate for president.The Trump aides believed the Russians at the meeting had “dirt” on Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate for president.
“The three senior guys in the campaign thought it was a good idea to meet with a foreign government inside Trump Tower in the conference room on the 25th floor – with no lawyers,” Bannon is quoted as saying in Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.“The three senior guys in the campaign thought it was a good idea to meet with a foreign government inside Trump Tower in the conference room on the 25th floor – with no lawyers,” Bannon is quoted as saying in Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.
“They didn’t have any lawyers. Even if you thought that this was not treasonous, or unpatriotic, or bad shit, and I happen to think it’s all of that, you should have called the FBI immediately.”“They didn’t have any lawyers. Even if you thought that this was not treasonous, or unpatriotic, or bad shit, and I happen to think it’s all of that, you should have called the FBI immediately.”
Bannon also gave a prescription for how such a meeting should have been set up and said he believed the Russians would likely have been introduced to Donald Trump.Bannon also gave a prescription for how such a meeting should have been set up and said he believed the Russians would likely have been introduced to Donald Trump.
“The chance that Don Jr did not walk these jumos up to his father’s office on the 26th floor is zero,” he said.“The chance that Don Jr did not walk these jumos up to his father’s office on the 26th floor is zero,” he said.
Bannon also predicted to Wolff that special counsel Robert Mueller would focus his investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election on money-laundering.
The Trump White House was “sitting on a beach trying to stop a category five” hurricane, he said, adding that Mueller’s investigators would “crack Don Jr like an egg on national TV”.The Trump White House was “sitting on a beach trying to stop a category five” hurricane, he said, adding that Mueller’s investigators would “crack Don Jr like an egg on national TV”.
In the ensuing explosion of controversy, in which Wolff’s portrayal of White House aides’ doubts about Trump’s capacity for the job loomed large, Trump disavowed “Sloppy Steve” and argued there was no evidence of collusion between his presidential campaign and operatives tied to Russian president Vladimir Putin. Bannon’s interview with the House panel will be behind closed doors. It will be his first appearance before any of the congressional committees investigation Russian interference.
Bannon rowed back, saying his remarks about the “treasonous” meeting had only referred to Paul Manafort, his predecessor in charge of the Trump campaign who is one of four aides indicted by Mueller. Manafort has pleaded not guilty to money-laundering charges. Trump Jr was interviewed by the House intelligence committee in December, behind closed doors and for roughly seven hours. He was pressed in particular on the nature of the meeting at Trump Tower and his contacts with WikiLeaks, which published hacked emails from the Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee.
Bannon, who also told Wolff he knows no Russians, would not be a witness in any investigations, would not hire a lawyer and would not appear on national television answering questions, recently retained the same lawyer being used by former Trump chief of staff Reince Priebus and White House general counsel Don McGahn. Trump Jr reportedly shared with senior Trump campaign officials, including Bannon, details of his correspondence with WikiLeaks. Democrats on the intelligence committee have expressed a desire to hear more from Bannon about what he observed, and why he suggested to Wolff that special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation would focus on money laundering.
Bannon is scheduled to testify before the House panel on Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the committee’s plans not authorized to discuss private committee deliberations and speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Bannon’s name has also surfaced in other aspects of the investigation.
Neither Bannon nor his lawyer responded to requests by the AP for comment. The fiancée of George Papadopoulos, the former foreign policy aide who has been cooperating with Mueller since July, said Bannon was informed by Papadopoulos of his contacts with Russians.
Russian election meddling is being investigated by Mueller, who was appointed by the justice department after Trump fired FBI director James Comey, and panels from both houses of Congress. During the transition, Bannon was forwarded an email pertaining to a pending discussion about US sanctions between then Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak and Michael Flynn, who had been appointed as national security adviser.
Bannon, who left the White House in August 2017, has so far avoided the scrutiny of congressional investigators, who have instead focused on trying to secure interviews with top witnesses like Manafort and former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. Flynn, who was fired last February for misleading vice-president Mike Pence about his communications with Kislyak, reached a plea deal in December with Mueller. He was charged with lying to the FBI.
But Bannon played a critical role in the campaign, the presidential transition and the White House – all now under scrutiny from congressional investigators looking for evidence of a connection between Trump’s operations and Russia. Prior to the fallout from Wolff’s book, Bannon was also closely connected to Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah, billionaire backers of Trump and of conservative causes. The Mercers family is a major investor in Cambridge Analytica, a data analytics company that contacted WikiLeaks about Clinton’s emails just before it was hired by the Trump campaign.
The final result of the House investigation could be marred by partisan infighting. Some committee members have discussed the probability that Republicans on the panel will issue one set of findings and the Democrats will issue their own report. Neither Bannon nor his lawyer responded to requests by the Associated Press for comment.
Bannon, who also told Wolff he knows no Russians, would not be a witness in any investigations, would not hire a lawyer and would not appear on national TV answering questions, recently retained the same lawyer being used by former Trump chief of staff Reince Priebus.
In the explosion of controversy from Wolff’s book, Trump disavowed “Sloppy Steve” and argued there was no evidence of collusion between his presidential campaign and operatives tied to Vladimir Putin.
Bannon rowed back, saying his remarks about the “treasonous” meeting had only referred to Paul Manafort, his predecessor in charge of the Trump campaign who is one of four aides indicted by Mueller. Manafort has pleaded not guilty to money-laundering charges. A hearing in that case was also scheduled for Tuesday.
Trump-Russia investigationTrump-Russia investigation
Steve BannonSteve Bannon
Donald TrumpDonald Trump
RussiaRussia
Trump administrationTrump administration
US politicsUS politics
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