Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon will be more forthcoming when he is interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller than he was before the House Intelligence Committee Tuesday, according to a report.
Bannon informed committee members during a grueling 10-hour hearing that President Trump had invoked broad executive privilege for congressional inquiries, meaning Bannon could not answer questions as part of their investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election that pertained to any event after Election Day.
But the "gag order" as referenced by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., should not prevent Bannon from disclosing information pertinent to Mueller's Russia probe, one source familiar with the ex-Breitbart News chairman's thinking told the Daily Beast.
“Mueller will hear everything Bannon has to say,” the source said.
The panel issued an on-the-spot subpoena to Bannon after he refused to share details, but Schiff, the top Democrat on the committee, told reporters after the session had adjourned that the White House instructed Bannon to continue not responding to queries.
The use of executive privilege during Bannon's testimony could be invoked again when other senior Trump administration officials appear before congressional investigators.
White House communications director Hope Hicks is expected to testify before the committee by Friday.
Mueller issued Bannon a subpoena last week, per a New York Times report published Tuesday.
