On Monday's edition of MSNBC's "The Beat," former Solicitor General Neal Katyal broke down the significance of Trump associate Steve Bannon's push to cooperate with the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
For the last year, Bannon has refused to cooperate or respond to subpoenas in any way, resulting in criminal contempt of Congress charges.
"Neal, your reaction to Mr. Bannon's position, what with its legal deficiencies we'll get into later with our conversation, but what does it say about aspects of the system potentially working?" asked anchor Ari Melber.
"I do think, Ari, it was an interesting reversal from Steve Bannon," said Katyal. "This is the one time that Steve Bannon has wanted to check is privilege, and it turns out he doesn't have any. This is a guy who wasted three chances to do the right thing. He would have volunteered to testify. He could have testified after being subpoenaed or after the criminal referral. And we're now a week before his criminal trial, Ari, as you were saying, and now all of a sudden he says he wants to do his duty. And I don't know what in the world Steve Bannon must have said to Donald Trump to allow him to waive this privilege that he's never even had in the first place, but I doubt it was an appeal to the greater good."
Katyal proceeded to elaborate on his view of Bannon's mental calculation.
"I agree there's a fear component on the part of Bannon," said Katyal. "He's got to, particularly after the judge's ruling today. But this has always felt to me like some sort of last-ditch attempt by Bannon to get in the good graces of the judge and jury for his criminal trial and also to perhaps try to turn the PR narrative, in which the House January 6th Committee's been so successful on, and trying to get a Trump person to testify on live TV."
Watch below:
Neal Katyal says Bannon blew "three chances" to follow the law www.youtube.com
