Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) revealed how the White House and House Republicans helped Steve Bannon evade accountability in the Russia probe.
The former White House chief strategist and chief executive of Donald Trump’s first campaign was called in 2018 by the House Intelligence Committee to testify about Russian election interference, but Schiff told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that Bannon was allowed to sidestep their questions.
“Steve Bannon was called in as a witness during the Russia investigation, he came in first not under subpoena and then he was subpoenaed, this was during the Russia investigation led by the Republicans,” Schiff said. “When he came in under subpoena, he brought 25 questions written out for him by the White House by people who were the subject of the investigation, and he said these are the only questions I am going to answer and I’ve already answered them and the answer is no, and the Republicans were more than content with that. But things are not the same for Steve Bannon.”
“The Republicans would not press these subpoenas and the witnesses knew they had attorney general in Bill Barr who would never hold them in contempt, would never prosecute them for violating the law because, after all, Bill Barr had been held in contempt,” Schiff added. “Now we have a Justice Department that is independent, Merrick Garland believes in the rule of law, that no one is above the law. If witnesses do not show up, we will hold them in contempt, we will vote them in contempt in the House, and we’ll refer them for prosecution. That will be a sign that our democracy is recovering that the Justice Department is upholding a principle that no one is above the law.”