It was President Trump's decision to limit former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon's testimony this Tuesday in front of the House Intelligence Committee, based on legal advice he received from a key aide to White House Counsel Don McGahn, two people with knowledge of the matter told Foreign Policy on Thursday.
Deputy White House Counsel Uttam Dhillon concluded that there might be legitimate executive privilege claims to curb the testimony of former and current Trump aides, Foreign Policy reports, but the claims don't extend to providing information or testimony to Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
Throughout his closed-door meeting with the House Intelligence Committee, Bannon refused to answer most questions about what happened during the transition and his time in the White House. His lawyer was on the phone with the White House counsel's office during much of the session, asking which questions Bannon should answer and which to avoid. Bannon has reportedly agreed to be interviewed by Mueller, with a person close to him telling The Daily Beast earlier this week that he's ready to tell all.
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