Committee members view Bannon as a key figure because they believe his podcasts have contributed to the radicalization of some Trump supporters, and they have evidence showing Bannon spoke to Trump and his advisers repeatedly in the run-up to January 6.
Bannon also stands out, amid the battle for a pardon among lawmakers and Trump advisers working to undo the election, as the only one to be finally pardoned after Jan. 6. While the postponement was for a fraud case unrelated to Jan. 6, Bannon’s support for Trump after the election was a factor in the then-president’s last-minute decision to pardon Bannon, over the objection of his top attorney in the White House. House and other advisers, according to a former senior government official who, like others interviewed for this report, spoke on a condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
The prospect of Bannon’s testimony may turn out to be a trick. Bannon had defied the panel’s subpoena, citing Trump’s claim of executive privilege, even though Bannon was not in government at the time of the attack. With Bannon’s contempt of Congress trial set to begin this month, Trump agreed on Saturday to waive his privilege claim and encouraged Bannon to testify anyway.