The ongoing capitol riot hearing has received a boost as Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon has told the House select committee investigating the 6th January 2021capitol riots that he is willing to testify, OurWorldGist gathers from CNN.
Recall that until now, he had refused to cooperate with the capitol riot hearing.
In a letter seen displayed by CNN, his lawyer told the committee that Mr Bannon “is willing to, indeed prefers, to testify at your public hearing”.
Meanwhile, Mr Donald Trump, said the testimony would be “in the best interests” of Americans.
Note, the select committee has conducted a nearly year-long investigation into how Trump supporters invaded Congress on 6th January 2021 to disrupt lawmakers as they certified Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory.
Mr Steve Bannon was severally summoned to testify on what he knew about the events leading up to the riot, but until now he had refused to comply with the demand of the select committee.
He claims he was covered by “executive privilege”, a legal principle that protects many White House communications.
However, at the time of the Capitol riots, Mr Steve Bannon was not an official advisor to the president, which the committee says means that executive privilege does not apply.
Mr Bannon’s testimony, if it goes ahead, could offer new insights into Trump’s inner circle in the hours leading up to and during the riots.
The select committee has vehemently alleged that, the former Trump strategist had specific knowledge about the events planned for 6th January 2021 before they took place.
Donald Trump himself has become frustrated at the committee hearings, describing them as a “one-sided witch-hunt”, and has given his support for Mr Steven Bannon’s testimony.
In a letter seen by the CNN, the former president said he was “waiving executive privilege for you, which allows for you to go in and testify truthfully and fairly, as per the request of the unselect committee of political thugs and hacks”.
However, the exact circumstances under which Mr Bannon will testify have not been agreed.
According to his lawyer Robert Costello, he wishes to appear before the committee in a public hearing, but standard procedure so far has been for testimony to be heard first in private interviews.
“We want to get all our questions answered, and you can’t do that in a live format,” committee member Zoe Lofgren – a Democrat – told CNN.
Mr Bannon is due to appear in court on 18 July on two charges of criminal contempt of Congress for previously refusing to testify and failing to submit documents.
