Did the Trump Administration Obstruct Justice With Respect to Steve Bannon's Testimony?

For a White House that continually claims they did nothing wrong and the Russia investigation is a “witch hunt,” they do seem to have an awful lot to hide. Steve Bannon testified before the House Intelligence Committee in a closed-door session, and his lawyer told lawmakers the White House ordered Bannon to keep his yap shut.

Check this out from Fox News:

Fallen former President Trump confidante Steve Bannon was served immediate subpoenas during his closed-door meeting with lawmakers Tuesday to provide testimony on information the White House instructed him not to share, according to sources with knowledge of the conversations.

In the now hours-long, ongoing interview conducted by investigators for the House Intelligence Committee, Bannon’s attorney told lawmakers that the White House directed his client not to answer questions about his time in the White House or during the transition.

Sources told Fox News Bannon did not invoke any sort of legal “privilege,” including executive privilege, to support this refusal.

So they offered up no reason for not saying anything, other than, “The White House said not to talk.”

Of course, they can’t claim executive privilege during the transition because everybody is still a private citizen. But what did Bannon know that the White House wants him to keep quiet? Fox News reporter Chad Pergram had this to say on Twitter:

Sources say Bannon told by WH not to answer questions before House Intel Cmte about the White House and the transition. Did not assert executive privilege. Committee subpoenas him during the meeting to comply while in the hearing.

— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) January 16, 2018

Now before anybody gets on their “TEH FAKE NEWS!” horse, remember who’s reporting: Fox News.

Remember when Trump said this:

“Steve Bannon has nothing to do with me or my presidency,” Trump said in the statement. “When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind.”

He had nothing to do with the presidency yet they want him to keep quiet before Congress. Of course, now that Bannon got a subpoena from Robert Mueller, the stakes go way up. It will be interesting to see where this goes.