Bannon Is Subpoenaed in Muellers Russia Investigation

[Mrs. Overall]

Source: NYT

WASHINGTON — Stephen K. Bannon, President Trump’s former chief strategist, was subpoenaed last week by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, to testify before a grand jury as part of the investigation into possible links between Mr. Trump’s associates and Russia, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

The move marked the first time Mr. Mueller is known to have used a grand jury subpoena to seek information from a member of Mr. Trump’s inner circle. The special counsel’s office has used subpoenas before to seek information on Mr. Trump’s associates and their possible ties to Russia or other foreign governments.

The subpoena could be a negotiating tactic. Mr. Mueller is likely to allow Mr. Bannon to forgo the grand jury appearance if he agrees to instead be questioned by investigators in the less formal setting of the special counsel’s offices in Washington, according to the person, who would not be named discussing the case. But it was not clear why Mr. Mueller treated Mr. Bannon differently than the dozen administration officials who were interviewed in the final months of last year and were never served with a subpoena.

On Tuesday, Mr. Bannon testified behind closed doors before the House Intelligence Committee, which is also investigating Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election and ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/16/us/politics/steve-bannon-mueller-russia-subpoena.html?_r=0

[ProudMNDemocrat]

1. Fire and Fury.......The interview.......

Go full Don Corleone on Bannon, Mr. Mueller. Give him an offer he cannot refuse. Bannon's balls are in his hands.

[enid602]

18. Fury

Hell hath no fury . . . like a Republican scorned.

[PatSeg]

20. There is a reason why

it is not a good idea to make enemies of everyone in your world. Why should any of these people show loyalty to Trump. Eventually, he throws everyone under the bus. That might have worked in business, but it won't work in the White House.

[Wounded Bear]

2. Tick, tick, tick...

[MelissaB]

3. K&R&Boom!

Link to tweet

[Mrs. Overall]

5. Yes!

Love those booms!

[BumRushDaShow]

13. I could never remember that guy's name

so I could get my fill of his latest "boom" tweets.

Thank you!

[Fred Sanders]

4. Meanwhile @Foxyland website it is total real news blackout as the denizens munch on this:

1 NK Olympic cheerleaders... and 6 more NK stories

2 Scalia memoirs

3 Grisly murders most foul

4 Helicopter crash!

President Obama was right. Bubble. But no red meat today!

[PatSeg]

21. Ha, ha, ha!

Its like another planet. "Scalia memoirs"??? Oh, that's exciting.

[Skittles]

6. I hope he sings like a canary

[SummerSnow]

7. I don't think he will . he will turn this into a political witch hunt

[duforsure]

8. He'll be forced to tell the truth

or else he'll risk going to jail, and he knows it. He and either Manifort or Gates will flip to escape getting time.

[Botany]

9. Bannon links Trump to Cambridge Analytica, the Mercers, and the computer server @ ....

....Trump's HQ that went to a Bank in the Ukraine and onto Putin. Mueller knows all this
and if Bannon lies to Mueller, his team, or the FBI the Bob's got him and if he doesn't lie
and speaks the truth then it is all over for Trump.


Now what was Trump's tweet this AM?

Link to tweet

[japple]

15. Wonder who is composing these tweets for him. eom

[BlancheSplanchnik]

10. Go Shhteve! 🤤

[Honeycombe8]

11. I think it was Wolfe who said Bannon had bragged...

that he wouldn't be called to testify in the Russia investigation because he doesn't know anything about it (meaning, he's the only good one in the Trump bunch, I guess).

Well....looks like Bannon was wrong again. Sometimes it doesn't pay to brag.

[BumRushDaShow]

12. Bannon's revenge

He's gonna pin the whole thing on "Jarvanka".

[lagomorph777]

25. And Jarvanka will pin it on Pres. Shithole

[Mr. Ected]

14. Sloppy Steve will leak like a sieve. -eom

[iluvtennis]

16. Love it.Wish Mueller would start to formally subpoena all the Trumpians vs giving them "interviews"

[SeattleVet]

17. Mueller is doing everything right...

carefully going straight up the chain leading to the main target of the investigation, from the least-involved to the most.

Bannon was a confidante and deeper into the campaign than most of those previously interviewed. Mueller's team will take what these others have said and ask Bannon a lot of questions, the answers to which the team has already received from those that testified before. If Bannon tells a different story that what they already have found out he goes down for it. If he tells the truth, those above him will then have to tell the same story...all the way to the top, and the rest of the dominoes tumble into a pants-shitting pile of convictions for a wide array of crimes (money laundering, conspiracy, obstruction, lying to the investigators, etc.)

[DarleenMB]

19. He will lie like a rug

Does anyone seriously believe Bannon will tell the truth about anything? And I also agree that he will try to pin everything on Jarvanka.

[DeminPennswoods]

22. Not unless he wants to be charged, too

nt

[John Fante]

32. Lying to the FBI is bad for one's health.

[RandomAccess]

43. I seriously doubt that Mueller and company would bother with him

IF they didn't have some perjury traps already set and loaded.

If he thinks otherwise and feels comfortable lying, he's a bigger fool than anyone imagined.

[mobeau69]

45. Bingo. Bannon will be asked questions the Mueller team already has the answers to.

Plus, no attorney present for sloppy steve in the GJR.

You gotta love it!

[lindysalsagal]

46. He's dumb enough to lie. They're all blinded by money.

They believe their money and connections make them special, invincible. He'll lie. Mueller will then show him everyone's contradictory evidence and how many years behind bars it will cost him. And he'll fold like a lawn chair, because he doesn't trust 45 will be able to pardon him.

He'll sell out the whole producer's gambit and make 45 take the fall. He'll plead and walk.

[RandomAccess]

47. I'd be just fine with your scenario

[DeminPennswoods]

23. Steve Bannon, Come on down!

[Gothmog]

24. This makes me smile

[edbermac]

26. Awesome!

[Skittles]

48. ...

WTF IS THAT

[Irish_Dem]

27. Why is Mueller treating Bannon differently than the other WH officials? nt

[The_jackalope]

29. Because we're entering the endgame.

The squeeze is starting to tighten.

[Irish_Dem]

30. Is Mueller applying some pressure on Trump prior to his interview? nt

[The_jackalope]

31. Here's Seth Abramson's analysis

It's in this thread. I pulled out what I think is the key takeaway below.

Link to tweet

"6/ But I think there's no reason to believe Bannon is one of Mueller's primary indictment targets. Rather, the timing of this subpoena suggests he wants to force Bannon into cutting a deal to incriminate others. And Bannon has previously implied he can incriminate Jared Kushner.

7/ So this subpoena is the legal equivalent of direct fire aimed at the president (metaphorically speaking). And the message Mueller is sending Trump is absolutely unmistakable (and chilling to Trump, undoubtedly): I'm coming for you and your family.

[Irish_Dem]

33. Many thanks jackalope. I wondered what Mueller was up to...

I thought he would make some moves prior to Trump's interview.

So Bannon is going to give up Jared.
I think Mueller has evidence on Jared already, but Bannon must have more to offer.

I wonder if Trump even cares about Jared at this point.

[BumRushDaShow]

34. "So Bannon is going to give up Jared."

I don't know if you have read "the book", but if not, it lays out the extreme hatred that Bannon has for Kushner. And as I have posted before in other threads (now that I am at the last chapter - have been busy this week so have been reading the thing when I can), the "inside story" of what was happening inside the WH appeared to be predominately provided by and from Bannon's perspective, and in return, Bannon was treated with kid gloves with respect to Wolff's handling of him. And you'll notice that Bannon has not really complained about what was written in the book.

Bannon dubbed the couple "Jarvanka" in a negative sense although he basically considers Ivanka as a lightweight know-nothing, so his focus was really on Kushner - i.e., getting rid of him (and her) out of the Drumpf sphere of influence.... And now that "Jarvanka" appparently "won" the battle of who would be supreme and have the President's ear by supporting Bannon's forced exit out of the WH (and later forced exit out of Breitbart), I expect there will be hell to pay, soon to be dished out by Bannon.

[Irish_Dem]

35. Yes I read those excerpts about Bannon and Jared. They hated each other it sounds like.

Does Wolff's book shed any light on how Trump feels about Jared?
Do you think it will bother Trump if Jared is indicted?

[BumRushDaShow]

36. The book

seemed to suggest that Drumpf was neutral with him - i.e., he is the husband of his daughter (and he has generally catered to his daughter's whims), although obviously not a blood relation like Don Jr & Eric.

What seemed to be the bigger inference in the book was who supported Kushner in the background - i.e., Rupert Murdoch. And Drumpf seemed to like Kushner's ability to hobnob with the best of them - people who only tolerate Drumpf or refuse to recognize him. Kushner's father was a real estate guy (who Christie sent to jail), so there's that too. However you'll note the recent stories that have come out regarding Kushner and Murdoch's ex, Wendy Deng Murdoch.

I think Drumpf will throw all non-family under the bus and if the noose tightens to get close to Kushner, he might end up letting him fall too. Kushner has a $500 million loan payment that comes up in February 2019 and no one has any $$$$ to save that.

[Irish_Dem]

37. Yes I agree, I think Trump would throw Jared under the bus in a heartbeat.

Jared has a year to come up with the money, wonder if he will do it.
$500 million is a lot of debt.

What is going on with Jared and Wendy, do you have any ideas?

[BumRushDaShow]

41. I think the answer is

EVERYTHING they do is a "follow the money" deal. Apparently Deng was doing some influence peddling on behalf of China and using her connection with Kushner as a means to her end.

US intelligence officials apparently once warned Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, that one of his close friends could be a Chinese agent. The friend, Wendi Deng Murdoch, a Chinese-American who kept her surname after being married to the media mogul Rupert Murdoch for 14 years, is a prominent businesswoman.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Kushner was warned early last year that Murdoch could be using her friendship with him and his wife, Ivanka Trump, to "further the interests of the Chinese government." Murdoch, The Journal said, was previously believed to have lobbied for a planned $100 million Chinese garden at the National Arboretum in Washington, DC. The project, according to The Journal, was eventually blocked because officials feared a planned 70-foot tower could be used for surveillance.

The US intelligence community regularly briefs new administrations on possible ties to foreign agents, and the US frequently views Chinese investments into US companies and infrastructure with suspicion.

<...>

Kushner, Ivanka Trump, and Murdoch have been friends for years and regularly appear in one another's social-media posts. Murdoch posted this image of her and Ivanka Trump in January 2017. A representative for Kushner said the couple had "been friends with Rupert and Wendi Murdoch for a decade before coming to Washington and their relationship is neither political nor about China."

http://www.businessinsider.com/kushner-warned-that-his-friend-wendi-deng-murdoch-may-be-a-chinese-spy-2018-1

[The_jackalope]

28. A few items of interest

1. Bannon is being interviewed in a SCIF.
2. Mueller will have all Bannon's answers from today. If they don't line up with what he tells the GJ, BOOM!
3. That implies that Mueller's subpoena was a lever to force truthful testimony today.
5. Nunes was seen walking toward the SCIF and then walking away.
4. There are tweets that Bannon was served a subpoena today, during his House session. Not much more than rumour at this stage, but if true, Sloppy Steve is having the screws put to him good and proper.

[The_jackalope]

39. Bannon apparently WAS issued a different subpoena during today's hearing

Manu Raju is Senior Congressional Correspondent, @CNN.

Link to tweet

[BumRushDaShow]

42. Oh my. Thanks for THAT update!

[The_jackalope]

44. Yeah, it's popcorn time. nt

[Sugar Smack]

40. And this, RIGHT AFTER Bannon's public apology to trump

and trump's childish un-acceptance. Bannon's been doing a slow burn, I think.

let's GO, Mueller!!!!!!