There were reports by the AP a few minutes ago that Bannon’s lawyer was communicating with the White House during Bannon’s interview:
BREAKING: AP Sources: Steve Bannon attorney relayed questions to White House during House interview, was told when not to respond.
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 17, 2018
Well now we know why. Apparently the White House had met with the House Intel Committee before the questioning and agreed on some ground rules about what they would ask Bannon and what they wouldn’t.
Now the White House is accusing the committee of breaking those ground rules:
THE HILL – The White House believed that it had reached an agreement with the House Intelligence Committee that would limit the scope of the panel’s questions for Stephen Bannon solely to his time on Trump’s presidential campaign, a White House official told CNBC.
The official said that the White House had met with staffers on the intelligence panel ahead of Bannon’s interview, and determined that the committee would not ask Bannon about his time on Trump’s presidential transition team or in the White House. Bannon served for a period as Trump’s chief strategist in the White House.
But when Bannon’s lawyer informed the White House during his interview on Tuesday that the panel was asking about issues related to the former chief strategist’s time in the White House and on the transition team, he was instructed to decline answering those questions.
“We said ‘Hey, hey, pump the brakes,'” the official told CNBC. “We said to Bannon, ‘Don’t answer those questions because we haven’t agreed to that scope under the process.'”
It’s been since reported that Bannon will be interviewed by Mueller’s investigators, where I’m sure he’ll have to answer those same questions.
BREAKING: AP Source: Former White House strategist Steve Bannon to meet with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigators.
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 17, 2018
The AP reports they don’t know when this interview will take place.
UPDATE:
Sarah Huckabee Sanders said it is a standard procedure that other White Houses have met with Congress to lay out ground rules before hearings, and they were simply doing the same.
Steve Bannon was being asked about some of the claims that he's made about this administration and the president's family@margbrennan asks Sanders: Can you define what the White House is telling attorneys, falls into the scope of executive privilege? pic.twitter.com/KuQeVNkdHC
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) January 17, 2018