Bannon agrees to testify on Jan 6 after Trump waives executive privilege

Washington: Political strategist and former White House Chief Strategist, Stephen Bannon has agreed to testify publicly before the House committee investigating Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, his lawyer told the panel in a letter Saturday.

"President Trump has decided that it would be in the best interests of the American people to waive executive privilege for Stephen K. Bannon, to allow Bannon to comply with the subpoena issued by your Committee," Bannon's attorney Robert Costello wrote in the letter, The Hill reported.

"Mr Bannon is willing to, and indeed prefers, to testify at your former US President Donald Trump's aide Stephen Bannonublic hearing," he wrote.

Costello's letter had an attachment signed by Trump, which the former president also posted on his Truth Social platform, saying he would waive executive privilege if Bannon reached an agreement on the time and place for his testimony.

"When you first received the subpoena to testify and provide documents, I invoked executive privilege," Trump wrote. "However, I watched how unfairly you and others have been treated, having to spend vast amounts of money on legal fees, and all of the trauma you must be going through for the love of your Country, and out of respect for the Office of the President."

After the Justice Department indicted Bannon in November after the full house voted to hold him in contempt of Congress, he is all set to go on trial later this month.

Lashing out at Trump, a Capitol Police sergeant who got injured on Jan. 6 said Trump betrayed his oath to Constitution.

Over a year ago, a group of Trump supporters entered the US Capitol to protest the certification of the 2020 presidential election results from several US states that Trump claimed were fraudulent. US authorities have arrested more than 725 individuals in nearly all 50 states for criminal offences relating to the riot. (ANI)