Former White House aide Steve Bannon may not testify publicly to the Jan. 6 Committee, according to a Bloomberg News article published Monday.
Erstwhile President Donald Trump waived executive privilege, paving the way for his former political aide to testify.
"Trump’s letter signals growing frustration that Bannon and other former Trump loyalists aren’t being allowed to defend him in the committee’s tightly scripted public hearings, which have featured no adversarial witnesses and edited snippets of taped testimony," Bloomberg's Billy House and Sabrina Wilmer report.
‘Nail in the coffin’: MSNBC analyst explains why Steve Bannon and Mark Meadows are in trouble‘Nail in the coffin’: MSNBC analyst explains why Steve
According to Bloomberg, several committee members said that "Bannon can’t expect to be featured in a public hearing, at least in the first instance."
“Ordinarily we do depositions,” Representative Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat, told CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We want to get all our questions answered, and you can’t do that in a live format.”
Bannon's refusal to testify had put him in danger of a two-year jail sentence and large fines, if he were convicted of contempt of Congress. He is scheduled to go on trial July 18.
Despite his agreement to testify, Bannon may decline to answer certain questions, invoking his Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination.
On Monday, the prosecution urged a judge to ignore Bannon's "eleventh hour efforts" to testify, saying his decision doesn't change the fact “he willfully refused to comply with the subpoena.”
A judge ruled Monday that Steven Bannon's trial for contempt of Congress will not be delayed and will move forward as planned. Bannon was indicted last year for ignoring a subpoena from the Jan. 6 committee, but changed his mind over the weekend and agreed to appear. According to the Justice Department, Bannon's last-minute offer to testify was nothing more than a “last-ditch attempt to avoid accountability.”
Investigators believe Bannon and other Trump advisors could have information on links between the White House and the mob that invaded the Capitol on the day it was due to certify Biden as winner.
