This was just more White House “full cooperation” with the investigations, I assume.
They don’t even assert executive privilege - which wouldn’t apply to most of the conversations and events - or any other privilege, and Bannon doesn’t assert the 5th Amendment. They just tell Bannon: “Refuse to answer any questions about the transition or administration” and he says “OK.”
I presume that Bannon is reserving his ability to cooperate with Mueller’s probe knowing that any pardons are not in his future.
Bannon I’m sure is smart enough to know that any and every thing he says to the house committee will be dutifully reported back to the White House by Devin Nunes.
Steve Bannon may be deplorable, evil, and many other negative things, but I do not believe for one second he is stupid. He certainly knows that the information he has is more valuable to Mueller if it is quiet for now. Allowing Mueller to not show all of his cards.
Really hard to tell what’s going on here behind all the AP ballwashing, but this . . .
The official said the administration believes it doesn’t have to invoke the privilege to keep Bannon from answering questions about his time in the White House.
. . . this is just gibberish. I mean, yeah, this whole administration is gibberish, but, unless they’re implying they’re blackmailing him, I can’t make heads of tails of it.
On the other hand, anything that keeps him from telling Moscow’s man on the committee what he’s tells the grand jury is ok by me.
We know that nunes was behind the subpoena even though he wasnt at the hearing. The republicans were trying to make bannon talk to them about the same things before he went before the grand jury and it backfired. This is just another feather in nunes obstruction of justice charge…
Yep, Bannon is officially out in the cold. Out of the WH, out at Breitbart and out with the RW.
He has no reason to cover for the WH and the value of his testimony to the Grand Jury is higher to Mueller if secret thus giving Bannon a chance at a better deal to avoid any criminal liability.