WASHINGTON: President Trump's White House is relying on a sweeping interpretation of executive privilege that is rankling members of Congress on both sides of the aisle as current and former advisers parade to Capitol Hill for questioning about possible connections with Russia. The White House's contention: Pretty much everything is off limits until the president says it's not.
The argument was laid bare this week during former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon's interview with the
House Intelligence Committee. As lawmakers in the closed-door session probed Bannon's time working for Trump, his attorney got on the phone with the White House counsel's office, relaying questions and asking what
Bannon could say, according to a White House official.
The development brought to the forefront questions about White House efforts to control what current and former aides may or may not tell Congress. It was also the broadest example yet of the White House using executive privilege to limit a witness's testimony.
On Wednesday, Trump's chief of staff John Kelly told Fox News that the White House did not tell Bannon to invoke executive privilege. According to other White House officials, the phone calls with the counsel's office were standard procedure followed by past administrations in dealings with Congress. They argued that Bannon, like every current and former member of the administration, assumed that he is covered by executive privilege
But members of Congress, including Republicans, criticised the move. The House panel's top Democrat called it effectively a "gag order". Lawmakers will be closely watching another interview later this week to see how the White House responds. Trump's spokeswoman Hope Hicks is to appear Friday for an interview with the committee. AP
