Miffed leaders of the House Intelligence Committee complained Thursday that former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon would only answer 25 questions approved by the White House when he appeared before them on Capitol Hill.
Top Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, called for the initiation of contempt of Congress proceedings against Bannon, who also refused to answer many questions during his first appearance before the intelligence panel – which is looking into the Russia matter – on January 16.
Schiff already said this week that there was an ‘abundance’ of evidence against Trump, both in the public domain and some that will come out, that demonstrates ‘collusion’ and ‘obstruction,’ but lawmakers wanted to hear from Bannon, who worked for both the campaign and the administration.
Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon only answered administration-approved questions before the House Intelligence Committee, annoying the leaders of the panel in both parties
Rep. Adam Schiff, the committee’s top Democrat, called for the initiation of contempt of Congress proceedings against Bannon
Declining to discuss with the committee the weeks after the November 2016 presidential election and before Trump’s inauguration, or his own time at the White House, Bannon claimed executive privilege and special protections for presidential communications in refusing to say more, lawmakers said.
Bannon’s attorney and White House aides did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
‘He did not answer all the questions we’d like answered, so there was frustration among committee members with respect to that,’ said Republican Representative Mike Conaway, who has been overseeing the committee’s investigation of Russia and the 2016 U.S. election.
A source familiar with his appearance before the committee said Bannon told lawmakers he was ‘not authorized to answer’ about 35 times, and answered ‘no’ to all of the 25 questions that had been authorized by the White House.
While not fully answering the House Intelligence Committee’s questions, Steve Bannon (pictured) talked to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team twice this week
U.S. intelligence agencies determined more than a year ago that Moscow sought to interfere in the campaign. The investigations by congressional committees and Mueller’s team have shadowed the first year of Trump’s campaign.
Russia has denied trying to meddle in the election.
Trump, a Republican, has denied collusion between his associates and Moscow. Mueller has been conducting a criminal investigation of possible collusion between Russia and Trump’s campaign to sway the 2016 presidential election.
‘There was a refusal to answer any questions that would have brought out the full facts. That is not how privilege works. That’s how stonewalling works,’ Schiff told reporters.
Conaway said attorneys would have to consider the claims of privilege, and there would have to be discussions with House Speaker Paul Ryan and other officials about whether a contempt proceeding was appropriate.
‘I think he (Bannon) should answer our questions,’ he told reporters.
Bannon did answer questions from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team for two days this week.
Three sources familiar with the Mueller proceedings said Bannon was interviewed for a total of about 20 hours by Mueller’s investigators and prosecutors.
One said he had answered a range of questions, unlike his refusal to do so before the House intelligence panel.
Another said Bannon was questioned on topics including his knowledge of President Donald Trump’s reasons for firing James Comey as Federal Bureau of Investigation director last year, as well as dealings with the Russian ambassador by former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Trump fired Bannon, the former head of the hard-right Breitbart News website, from his White House position in August.
Bannon had been a close Trump associate since he joined the Trump campaign and helped the political novice defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.