Trump personally made decision to curb Bannon's testimony to House Intel Committee

President Donald Trump himself made the decision and gave the executive order “to curtail the testimony of former chief White House political strategist Steve Bannon before the House Intelligence Committee,” FP reports, citing ”two people with firsthand knowledge of the matter.”

Bannon apparently followed orders.

Because he refused to answer the House Intelligence Committee’s questions on Tuesday, they served him with a subpoena during a break in the proceedings.

And separately, so did Robert Mueller.

From Foreign Policy:


Trump acted to limit Bannon’s testimony based on legal advice provided by Uttam Dhillon, a deputy White House counsel, who concluded that the administration might have legitimate executive privilege claims to restrict testimony by Bannon and other current and former aides to the president, according to these same sources.

But Dhillon has also concluded that Bannon and other current and former Trump administration officials do not have legitimate claims to executive privilege when it comes to providing information or testimony to special counsel Robert Mueller, according to the sources. Mueller is investigating whether anyone associated with Trump colluded with Russia to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Dhillon’s private and previously unreported legal advice to Trump could ultimately go against the president’s interest, however, by making it increasingly difficult for any administration official — or even a member of the president’s family who advises Trump — to refuse to provide information to Mueller.

Dhillon’s advice might prove to be a “Pyrrhic victory,” one senior administration official told Foreign Policy.

While the president might be able to “poke the Congress in the eye,” the same legal rationale undercuts any effort to restrict the special counsel’s right to interview current or former Trump aides, the official said.