House Democrats investigating potential collusion between Donald Trump and the Kremlin indicated Tuesday their willingness to force an ex-White House chief strategist to talk to them outside of asserted White House restrictions. Steve Bannon’s interview with the House Intelligence Committee, once scheduled for last week, has been overtaken by Chairman Devin Nunes’ surveillance memo attacking Trump investigators. Now, top panel Democrat Adam Schiff says, the committee is holding Bannon to a previously issued subpoena for an appearance next week. “Should Bannon maintain his refusal to testify fully to all questions,” Schiff said in a Tuesday statement, “the committee should begin contempt proceedings to compel his testimony.” Democrats are the minority on the committee, making it difficult to succeed in contempt proceedings. At issue, Schiff charged, is the White House insisting its former employee restrict his cooperation to the committee to “a set of fourteen yes-or-no questions the White House had pre-approved,” leaving out substantial aspects of Bannon’s tenure with Trump’s transition and White House. Schiff as well warned Bannon that his subpoenaed testimony before special counsel Robert Mueller—reportedly coming next week as well—“does not obviate Mr. Bannon’s obligations under the subpoena issued by the committee.” —Spencer Ackerman
