According to multiple reports, Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon is ignoring a subpoena from the House Intelligence Committee. He was meant to appear for questioning on Tuesday, but according to a source who spoke to CNN, Bannon plans on ignoring the order.
The move might lead to Trump’s former confidant being held in contempt for refusing to comply. Considering that this scheduled appearance was delayed twice because of negotiations on what questions Bannon could answer, it’s likely that his decision will only further anger lawmakers on the committee. The reason he was issued a subpoena in the first place was his refusal to answer any questions the first time he was summoned last month, which led to a contemptuous standoff that lasted over 10 hours.
Bannon is still insisting he will not answer questions relating to Russia. He has, however, agreed to answer all of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s questions for the investigation.
Bannon was disowned by Trump last month after the publication of the White House tell-all Fire and Fury, in which he is quoted as having called Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting with a Russian lawyer “treasonous.” Since then, Bannon has lost virtually all power — he was fired from the alt-right news site Breitbart and abandoned by some of his most important financial backers, like the Mercer family.
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