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Bannon 'stonewalled' congressmen during committee hearing | Bannon 'stonewalled' congressmen during committee hearing |
(35 minutes later) | |
President Trump's former chief adviser, Steve Bannon, has refused to answer a range of questions posed by a congressional committee. | President Trump's former chief adviser, Steve Bannon, has refused to answer a range of questions posed by a congressional committee. |
He was being interviewed by the House intelligence committee, which is investigating alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. | He was being interviewed by the House intelligence committee, which is investigating alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. |
Mr Bannon would answer only 25 questions approved in advance by the White House, members said. | Mr Bannon would answer only 25 questions approved in advance by the White House, members said. |
The committee is reportedly considering holding him in contempt. | The committee is reportedly considering holding him in contempt. |
"Steve Bannon stonewalled the intel committee today," Democratic member Joaquin Castro said in a tweet. | |
"Sure seems like he's covering up something(s). He should be held in contempt." | |
Adam Schiff, the panel's Democratic leader, called for contempt proceedings against Mr Bannon, according to Reuters news agency. | |
Republican Representative Mike Conaway said members of the panel were unhappy with Mr Bannon's responses. | |
"He did not answer all the questions we'd like answered, so there was frustration among committee members with respect to that," said Mr Conaway. | |
The hearing was a closed-door session, so full details have not yet emerged - instead being revealed by senior journalists with sources on the committee. | |
CNN senior congressional correspondent Manu Raju tweeted that Mr Bannon had been advised by President Trump to invoke executive privilege, a prerogative allowing him to withhold information. | |
Mr Bannon - who was forced out of the White House in August - appeared following a subpoena from the House Intelligence Committee. | |
According to the New York Times, he has also been subpoenaed by former FBI director Robert Mueller, the Justice Department special counsel who is leading a parallel inquiry into alleged collusion with Russia during the 2016 election campaign. | |
Mr Bannon is reportedly the first of Mr Trump's inner circle to be summoned to testify before a grand jury. |