The New York Times, citing only an unidentified source close to the investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, is reporting that Stephen Bannon, President Trump's former chief strategist, has been subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury.
The paper said it was the first time Mueller is "known to have used a grand jury subpoena to seek information from a member of Mr. Trump's inner circle."
Bannon, who before and after his service to the president was executive chairman of Breitbart News, became a flashpoint with the recent release of journalist Michael Wolff's "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," where he was quoted calling a meeting Donald Trump Jr. attended in 2016 with Russians as "treasonous."
Bannon left the Trump administration last August, then stepped away from his post as executive chairman of Breitbart last week.
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But Bannon apparently was not directly involved in two of the key concerns reportedly being investigated by Mueller, who for the last year has failed to produce any evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russians, his stated assignment when appointed.
Bannon reportedly was not involved the president's decision to dismiss FBI chief James Comey and the drafting of a statement about the June 2016 meeting. The president's critics allege that statement was misleading.
The Times said its confirmation of the Bannon subpoena came from "a person with direct knowledge of the matter."
The Times speculated: "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 about ties between Mr. Trump's associates and Russia and about the president's conduct in office, 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."
It also could be an attempt by Mueller to find something that would validate his more-than-year-old investigation that is costing taxpayers millions of dollars.
Bannon was in Washington on Tuesday to testify to the House Intelligence Committee in a closed-door session. The committee also is investigating claims of Russia's meddling.
Mueller's investigation already has targeted others in the Trump campaign or administration.
George Papadopoulos, a Trump campaign foreign-policy adviser, pleaded guilty in October to make a false statement to FBI investigators as part of a plea bargain to cooperate with Mueller's team.
And former national security adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI. But there's been no evidence, so far, of collusion.
And Trump campaign officials Paul Manafort and Rick Gates were indicted in October on nine and eight counts respectively including conspiracy against the U.S. and conspiracy to launder money. They have pleaded not guilty.
Solomon L. Wisenberg, a prosecutor for the independent counsel that investigated Bill Clinton, told the Times, "By forcing someone to testify through a subpoena, you are providing the witness with cover because they can say, 'I had no choice – I had to go in and testify about everything I knew.'"
WND reported Larry Klayman of Freedom Watch has filed a lawsuit that puts Mueller's communications with the media in a bull's-eye.
"Robert Mueller and his staff, who are alleged to have illegally leaked grand jury information to damage the president, his family and associates, have thus far been untouched by the inept and inert Justice Department, run by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who appears afraid that he himself may be indicted by Mueller for alleged Russian collusion and obstruction of justice," Klayman said.
"Freedom Watch is not afraid and is doing the job of my former alma mater, which has regrettably become the 'Department of Prosecutorial Misconduct and Injustice.' I will not rest until Robert Mueller and his partisan leftist prosecutors are removed and replaced with an honest and ethical special counsel and staff, who will not abuse their authority for political purposes, but instead expeditiously conduct and conclude this Russian collusion investigation on the merits before more harm is done to the nation."
His lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, is against Mueller, the DOJ and the FBI.
The action seeks a court order stating the defendants "have failed to make bona fide, good faith determinations about whether they will comply with Freedom Watch's request" for information.
Nor have defendants produced any records responsive to Freedom Watch's request, indicated when any responsive record will be produced, or demonstrated that specific responsive records are exempt, he said.
Klayman had asked for "any and all documents and records … that refer or relate with regard to communications to and from the media, domestic and foreign, concerning the activities of Special Counsel Robert Mueller and/or his staff as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, concerning the investigation of alleged Russian collusion and related matters concerning the Trump presidential campaign and the Trump transition team with the print, Internet, social media and radio and television networks."
Klayman, a former federal prosecutor, is seeking "communications by and between the media and the Office of the Special Counsel of Robert Mueller."
Last week, WND also reported Klayman was lobbying to be appointed to prosecute the Obamas and Clintons.
His activism has spanned decades.
He sued the National Security Agency and won in district court. He sued to get Barack Obama's birth certificate. He sued Hugo Chavez on behalf of torture victims. He sued journalists. He sued the Taliban and al-Qaida. He sued Cuba and won a multimillion-dollar judgment. He sued to get then-President Obama deported.
Now he's obtained on a petition the signatures of more than 11,000 people who want him named special counsel to investigate the Clintons, Uranium One and Fusion GPS.
He has filed a separate legal action that seeks to remove Mueller as special counsel.
"Only a special counsel can investigate and bring strong criminal charges over these scandals and I am the person to do this. In all modesty, I am the only lawyer who has the guts to finally bring the Clintons and Obama and his fellow criminals to justice, indict them and have them thrown in prison for the rest of their lives," he explains.
Mueller was appointed to look into alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. After a year, he's produced no evidence, and the only charges so far have been for "process" crimes rather than allegations underlying the investigation.
But the Uranium One deal, which handed over one-fifth of U.S. uranium holdings to a Russian-government-owned company, directly connected Hillary Clinton and Russia. In the Fusion GPS scandal, the opposition research firm commissioned a former British spy, at Democratic Party expense, to create the infamous "dossier" believed to be at the heart of the Russia-collusion allegations.
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