(Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)The House Intelligence Committee is preparing for a showdown with former White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon that members call a moment of truth for Congress if it wants to maintain any authority to scrutinize the Trump administration. In his standoff with the House Intelligence Committee, Bannon has done what no other witness in the Russia probe could: unite Republicans and Democrats on the politically fractured panel. In the past several weeks, the House counsel has taken responsibility for negotiating the terms of Bannon’s interview. As of last week, his lawyers were proposing he answer only 14 yes-or-no questions — something committee members rejected. To date, members said, President Trump has still not made any formal claim of executive privilege over Bannon’s testimony.

Source: Washington Post February 15, 2018 01:07 UTC