Former President Trump is considering waiving his claims of executive privilege to allow his former top adviser, Steve Bannon, to testify before a House committee investigating the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, The Washington Post reported on Friday. .
Citing three sources familiar with the matter, the newspaper reported that Trump may send Bannon a letter indicating that the former president is willing to drop his claim if Bannon reaches an agreement with the committee to testify.
Bannon first received a subpoena from the House Jan. 6 committee in September, but was charged with contempt for refusing to appear.
The Justice Department filed two charges against Bannon in November: one for refusing to testify and another for refusing to turn over related documents for the group’s review.
His trial is due to begin later this month, but he has asked for an adjournment on the grounds that too much publicity would deprive him of a fair trial.
The Post reported that some advisers are urging Trump not to send the letter.
Trump has repeatedly invoked executive privilege to prevent current and former officials from testifying.
A spokesman for Trump and a lawyer for Bannon did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Hill.
The report comes after bombshell testimony from former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who made comments about Trump’s temperament and knowledge of what’s going on inside the Capitol on Jan. 6.
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Hutchinson, who was a top aide to former chief of staff Mark Meadows, said during public testimony before the panel on Jan. 6 that Trump threw himself behind the wheel of his SUV and was told by the Secret Service that he couldn’t go at the Capitol on January 6.
Some involved in the situation dispute Hutchinson’s remarks, although they have not testified publicly.
The committee’s next hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.
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