Former White House strategist Steve Bannon was expected to be peppered with questions on the Trump campaign’s links to Russia in closed testimony to the House Intelligence Committee Tuesday. Bannon, who has been mostly quiet since the release of an incendiary book about President Donald Trump in which he figured prominently as a source, was seen arriving in Congress for the hearing early Tuesday. His insider role during the Trump election campaign and in the White House could provide crucial details to the committee, which is seeking to understand the extent of contact between Trump and his advisors and Russia, which is accused of interfering with the 2016 election. Bannon, 64, was a powerful figure in the Trump election campaign and the White House in the early months of Trump’s presidency, pushing a hard-line nationalism aimed at shaking up US domestic and foreign policy. Underscoring the break, Trump said Bannon had “lost his mind” and branded him “Sloppy Steve” via Twitter.

Source: Hindustan Times January 16, 2018 14:37 UTC