Ahead of criminal contempt trial, Bannon offers to testify before Jan. 6 committee

Stephen Bannon, the onetime strategist to former President Donald Trump, has told the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack that he is ready to start discussions about when and where to sit for an interview with the panel, The Guardian reports.

Bannon ignored an earlier subpoena from the committee, claiming he had "immunity" because of his role in the Trump White House, and his criminal trial for contempt of Congress is set to start this month.

Peter Navarro, a top economic adviser to Trump, detailed Bannon's role in the effort to overturn the 2020 election, telling MSNBC's Ari Melber in January that he concocted a plan with Bannon called the "Green Bay Sweep" to challenge the results in six battleground states. The Jan. 6 panel also says Bannon, who left the White House in 2017, was at a meeting in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5, 2021, during which Trump supporters discussed potential efforts to overturn the election.

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In a letter to the Jan. 6 committee, Bannon's lawyer, Robert J. Costello, wrote that Bannon "is willing to, and indeed prefers, to testify at your public hearing," adding he came to this decision after Trump stated that he "wants Mr. Bannon to tell the committee the truth."

Joyce Vance, a former U.S. attorney, told The Guardian that Bannon saying he'll testify does not "cure" his criminal contempt charge, as this is for his past failure to comply with the subpoena.