# Trump waives executive privilege for Bannon **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 10, 2022, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-waives-executive-privilege-for-bannon/967728 "2022-07-10T21:41:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![anny\_m](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@anny\_m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anny_m)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2022, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-waives-executive-privilege-for-bannon/967728/1 "2022-07-10T21:41:16Z")
I suspect this is covered in another thread, but I’m too lazy to go searching today. According to [this NBC article](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-says-waive-executive-privilege-ahead-steve-bannons-jan-6-committ-rcna37505), Trump has waived executive privilege so that Bannon can testify. Or, as TFG puts it, > “I will waive Executive Privilege for you, which allows for you to go in and testify truthfully and fairly, as per the request of the Unselect Committee of political Thugs and Hacks, who have allowed no Due Process, no Cross-Examination, and no real Republican members or witnesses to be present or interviewed. It is a partisan Kangaroo Court,” the letter says. Anyway, what exactly does this mean? Have Trump and Bannon come to some agreement where they make a big deal out of waiving privilege and then Bannon lies his ass off, or repeatedly takes the fifth? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2022, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-waives-executive-privilege-for-bannon/967728/2 "2022-07-10T21:46:00Z")
It doesn’t mean anything. Gibberish from someone with no privilege to waive. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2022, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-waives-executive-privilege-for-bannon/967728/3 "2022-07-10T21:51:16Z")
Apparently his testimony will be behind closed doors, so we won’t know anything about it directly (as distinct from what people in attendance might later say about it) for some time. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2022, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-waives-executive-privilege-for-bannon/967728/4 "2022-07-10T21:53:55Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Apparently his testimony will be behind closed doors, . . . Wait, so the Committee has actually agreed to let him come in now and testify? I hadn’t heard that yet . . . ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2022, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-waives-executive-privilege-for-bannon/967728/5 "2022-07-10T22:14:52Z")
Trump can no more waive Executive Privilege than I can. The man is utterly delusional. Executive Privilege belongs to the incumbent President. But what I think Bannon and the other insurrectionist from the Proud Boys now want to testify publicly, well they won’t really testify- they’ll just use the opportunity to try make a mockery of the whole Committee hearing. They may as well put on clown makeup and drive a little car to the hearing, which would be an improvement for bannon. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2022, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-waives-executive-privilege-for-bannon/967728/6 "2022-07-10T22:20:58Z")
I heard Zoe Lofgren today state that the committee has no intention of interviewing the master of his domain proud boy again, as she thinks he just wants to get out of jail for a while. ---
**Author:** ![SwissMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@SwissMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwissMan)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2022, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-waives-executive-privilege-for-bannon/967728/7 "2022-07-10T23:38:04Z")
> [@5\_time\_champ](#): > > they’ll just use the opportunity to try make a mockery of the whole Committee hearing. The general belief is that any testimony Bannon gives will be done behind closed doors and on video. The committee members are not about to let Bannon put on a show in public. ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2022, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-waives-executive-privilege-for-bannon/967728/8 "2022-07-10T23:46:13Z")
Maybe in-person in an orange jumpsuit and shackles. 😀 But yeah, no way either of them in person. Still it is an ongoing chess match: _We wanna clear our name but the Committee won’t let us._ ---
**Author:** ![anny\_m](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@anny\_m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anny_m)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-waives-executive-privilege-for-bannon/967728/9 "2022-07-11T15:03:00Z")
Thanks for the responses. I was pretty sure waiving executive privilege was a “nothingberder.” Except maybe it’s fodder for the MAGA herd. “Whadaya mean the Supreme Leader doesn’t have executive privilege? He waived it for Sir Steve Bannon! You can’t waive something that doesn’t exist!” ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-waives-executive-privilege-for-bannon/967728/10 "2022-07-11T15:18:34Z")
Apparently, Trump never even asserted executive privilege, to begin with: [https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/3552888-doj-says-it-interviewed-trumps-attorney-over-bannon-case/](https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/3552888-doj-says-it-interviewed-trumps-attorney-over-bannon-case/) > [@](#): > > former President Donald Trump’s attorney, […] confirmed […] that the former President never invoked executive privilege over any particular information or materials; that the former President’s counsel never asked or was asked to attend the Defendant’s deposition before the Select Committee; that the Defendant’s attorney misrepresented to the Committee what the former President’s counsel had told the Defendant’s attorney; and that the former President’s counsel made clear to the Defendant’s attorney that the letter provided no basis for total noncompliance ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-waives-executive-privilege-for-bannon/967728/11 "2022-07-11T20:19:26Z")
The news this morning made is sound like Bannon has had a change of heart, and will testify before the Committee. IMHO there has been no change of heart, and Bannon just wants attention and will simply be a disruption to the whole thing - and he has stipulated he wants to testify live. He’s probably been sitting on the sidelines eager to get put in the game so he can leave his own stain on the proceedings. No way they should let him do that - he will likely just spout off nonsense and not cooperate/answer questions truthfully. If anything, they should conduct interviews with the likes of Bannon behind closed doors and videotaped, to determine if he has anything of interest to say. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-waives-executive-privilege-for-bannon/967728/12 "2022-07-11T20:31:17Z")
Or he just wants to find out all he can about what the committee has for Drumpf and get out from under his contempt charges by supplying some worthless documents. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-waives-executive-privilege-for-bannon/967728/13 "2022-07-11T20:34:53Z")
Or the judge of his trial has refused any further delays, has shot down every defense argument, and instructed everybody that the trial begins next Monday. Period. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-waives-executive-privilege-for-bannon/967728/14 "2022-07-11T20:51:08Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Apparently his testimony will be behind closed doors A brilliant move by the Committee. Bannon will still lie and bullshit his way through the testimony, but he won’t be able to grandstand for the Trumpists. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-waives-executive-privilege-for-bannon/967728/15 "2022-07-11T21:09:20Z")
If they get him to talk, in any venue. I think it would be good to hear him say “I plead the Fifth” again, and again, and again … ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-waives-executive-privilege-for-bannon/967728/16 "2022-07-11T21:34:06Z")
How hilarious would it be for him to completely sell out Trump (while ensuring his own hands are clean) ….and then the next day come out full force in favor of DeSantis? Ok maybe not funny, but amazing. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-waives-executive-privilege-for-bannon/967728/17 "2022-07-11T22:12:55Z")
I’d happily pay money (though not to Trump) to watch Trump’s head asplode while _that_ act was on the TV. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-waives-executive-privilege-for-bannon/967728/18 "2022-07-11T22:31:10Z")
This is just Trump trying to act like he’s in charge. He knows Bannon is going to do this, so he is trying to spin it in a way to save face. “Yeah, I totally told him to do it, so he can prove how deceitful this criminal committed is being” What I wonder is why he’s bothering now. And, yes, the Committee has no reason to allow any sort of live testimony. Everything about this is planned. And the only thing that Trump supporters gain by insisting on going live is the ability to try and hijack the hearings. If it’s actually someone wanting to confess, they’ll gladly do so behind closed doors to be rebroadcast later. And if they’re ratting someone out, they’ll want to do it behind closed doors regardless. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-waives-executive-privilege-for-bannon/967728/19 "2022-07-11T22:52:19Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > It doesn’t mean anything. Gibberish from someone with no privilege to waive. It’s like writing a quitclaim deed. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-waives-executive-privilege-for-bannon/967728/20 "2022-07-11T23:51:29Z")
… On property you don’t own. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-waives-executive-privilege-for-bannon/967728.md?page=2)