Inside The Room: What Steve Bannon Told Congress Yesterday

[edpc]

Steve Bannon made one conspicuous slip up in his closed-door hearing on Tuesday with the House Intelligence Committee, according to four sources with direct knowledge of the confidential proceedings. Bannon admitted that he'd had conversations with Reince Priebus, Sean Spicer and legal spokesman Mark Corallo about Don Junior's infamous meeting with the Russians in Trump Tower in June 2016.

Why it matters: The meeting — and the subsequent drafting of a misleading statement on Air Force One — has become one of the most important focal points of the Russia investigations, both on Capitol Hill and within Robert Mueller's team, because it provides the closest thing that exists to evidence that the Trump campaign was willing to entertain collusion with Russians.

Bannon immediately realized he'd slipped up and disclosed conversations he wasn't supposed to discuss, because they happened while he was chief strategist in the White House. Throughout the rest of the session, committee members — in particular Republican Trey Gowdy and Democrat Adam Schiff — hammered Bannon over the fact that he'd mentioned those conversations but refused to discuss anything else about his time in the White House.

https://www.axios.com/steve-bannon-congress-testimony-inside-room-e30bd797-3720-44f0-bf32-5760cb6882e9.html

[Concerned]

Apparently Trey Gowdy was pretty frustrated with Bannon's questionable claims of Executive Privilege:

“I am frustrated whenever people assert privileges that do no exist and I am really frustrated when witnesses have all the time in the world to talk to the media — on and off the record — and they can help people write books, but they can’t talk to the representatives who are elected by their fellow citizens,” Mr. Gowdy, South Carolina Republican, said on Fox News.

Mr. Gowdy said Mr. Bannon, former White House chief strategist, tried to exert executive privilege for his time in the White House as well as the presidential transition during his testimony in front of the committee Tuesday.

Mr. Gowdy added that the committee spent much of the over 10-hour testimony just trying to figure out what claim Mr. Bannon had to executive privilege.

The South Carolina Republican added that tactics like this are only delaying the investigation of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, an investigation many, including President Trump, would like completed sooner rather than later."

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/jan/17/trey-gowdy-says-claims-of-executive-privilege-dela/

[ConservativeGranny]

It was a repeat with Lewandowski today. As far as I know he didn't wasn't part of the administration so how can he claim EP?

[edpc]

It was a repeat with Lewandowski today. As far as I know he didn't wasn't part of the administration so how can he claim EP?

Sometimes people are brought in from the outside for consultation and advice. They fall under the EP umbrella.

[ConservativeGranny]

Sometimes people are brought in from the outside for consultation and advice. They fall under the EP umbrella.

@edpc
Thanks. I didn't know that.

[edpc]

@edpc
Thanks. I didn't know that.

No problem.  A good example for Trump would be Carl Icahn.  He was a special advisor for financial investment.  If Congress tried to subpoena him for information about their discussions, they’d invoke executive privilege.  Otherwise, it’s nearly impossible to get anyone to consult.  Nobody wants to come in to advise in good faith then be thrown under the bus later.

[Slip18]

@edpc
Thanks. I didn't know that.

@epdc
'Sometimes people are brought in from the outside for consultation and advice. They fall under the EP umbrella.'

Neither did I.

Thank you for the education!

[Just_Victor]

Sometimes people are brought in from the outside for consultation and advice. They fall under the EP umbrella.

Does Executive Privilege get extended to the candidates?  Technically Trump's campaign was not the office of the executive, yet.

[endicom]

...evidence that the Trump campaign was willing to entertain collusion with Russians.

Yet no collusion. Basta!

[edpc]

Yet no collusion. Basta!

Holding the meeting was a politically naive thing to do, but it’s not collusion in itself.  Now, had the Russian attorney handed over information on Hillary (there was none) and the campaign offered to lift sanctions in exchange (no evidence they offered anything), the situation would be entirely different.