America

Steve Bannon, former adviser to Donald Trump, agrees to testify about the assault on Capitol Hill

Steve Bannon, former adviser to Donald Trump, agrees to testify about the assault on Capitol Hill

First modification:

Donald Trump’s former adviser, Steve Bannon, announced Sunday through a letter that he agrees to testify before the Congressional Committee investigating the January 2021 attack on Capitol Hill that left five dead.

By Patricia Paez,

US media reported on Sunday, July 10, that Steve Bannon, Donald Trump’s former adviser, is willing to testify before the committee investigating the attack on Capitol Hill. “M. Bannon wishes, and in fact prefers, to testify at your public hearing,” his attorney, Robert Costello, wrote in a letter to the committee, quoted by the newspaper. Guardian.

This news comes a week before the start of Bannon’s trial on a double charge of contempt of Congress. He had already been summoned to testify, but had refused, claiming to be protected by the privileges of the presidential function, despite the fact that at that time he was not an official of the Trump administration.

Bannon is part of the list of witnesses summoned to testify about the assault that occurred on January 6, 2021 in Washington. The team investigating the case believes that he and other advisers can provide information that confirms the link between the White House and the mob that attacked the Capitol.

The letter explains that this new position of Bannon is due to a change in circumstances and highlights a letter that the former counselor received from Donald Trump: “President Trump has decided that it is in the interest of the American people to relinquish the privilege of executive in the case of Stephen K. Bannon, to enable Mr. Bannon to comply with the subpoena issued by his Committee.”

“We want to have all the answers to the questions”

Zoe Lofgren, a member of the Congressional Committee investigating the case, explained in an interview for that the Committee has not yet discussed the letter but that he hopes “to hear from you” as they have many questions to ask him.

Likewise, the Democratic congresswoman announced that it is unlikely that the hearing with Bannon will take place live since they want to “get all the answers to the questions, and that cannot be done in a live format.”

According to information from The Washington PostBannon had been working to get the leader of the far-right group The Proud Boys out of jail two days before the attack. Enrique Tarrio, leader of the extremist group, had been arrested by police a month earlier for burning a “Black Lives Matter” banner at a church.

However, in an interview with the newspaper, Bannon denied having direct contact with The Proud Boys or Oath Keepers, groups that participated in the disturbances in the headquarters of Congress.

The assault on Capitol Hill was described as “a coup attempt encouraged by Trump” according to the parliamentary investigation. That day, thousands of supporters of Donald Trump gathered in Washington in order to denounce the results of the 2020 elections, which gave Joe Biden as the winner, as fraud. The riots resulted in five deaths and managed to delay the official certification of Biden’s victory.

Source link