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Ex-FBI agent explains why Steve Bannon actually wants to be arrested
October 18, 2021
The Jan. 6 House Select Committee released a statement saying that they intend to "move quickly" to hold Steve Bannon in criminal contempt if he refuses the subpoena to appear.
Bannon, who wasn't working for the White House at the time the Capitol riots were taking place, is attempting to assert executive privilege to block the subpoena.
MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace asked about Bannon in a conversation with former FBI special agent Clint Watts, who now serves as a senior fellow at the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security at George Washington University.
"Absolutely, I think they need to pursue prosecution because if they don't, it would give precedence for anyone, regardless of any committee, to just not respond, you know, when brought up with any sort of subpoena or a call to Congress in general," Watts explained. "I imagine all the committee hearings across the board, any time someone doesn't want to show up -- we have been talking about social media, for example. They don't want to show up, or they don't want to return records. Then, they [would] have a precedent that they could do that."
He went on to say that he believes this is exactly the "showdown" that Bannon wants.
"He wants to put that challenge up there, and remember, I think for him and many of his group, their time is waning," Watts continued. "So this is a way to continue to stir up trouble, continue to be in the news, and continue this sort of standoff. Remember, Steve Bannon's focus has always been [the] death of the administrative state. You heard him talk about that during the early years of the Trump administration. He would be killing off the administrative state if he were not prosecuted in this. It is actually a challenge. It is at the core of what our country is about, can he alone sort of make this challenge? Will there be any follow-up to it in the future?"
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Why steve bannon wants the subpoena www.youtube.com
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Trump asked about his racism and violence at rallies in lawsuit brought by protesters: report
October 18, 2021
Former deputy Attorney General Harry Litman revealed that President Donald Trump was probed about his racism during his deposition on Monday in the case brought by protesters attacked by Trump's bodyguard during his first presidential campaign.
According to statements from the plaintiff's attorney Ben Dictor, "The President was exactly how you would expect him to be, he answered questions the way you would expect Mr. Trump to answer questions and conducted himself in a manner that you would expect Mr. Trump to conduct himself."
Some responded to Litman's tweet, asking if that meant Trump was combative or lied.
This teaser from the plaintiffs’ lawyer: "The President was exactly how you would expect him to be, he answered que… https://t.co/M4tZPW4DwX— Harry Litman (@Harry Litman) 1634586198.0
The Daily Beast reported that there were several questions that Trump refused to answer though it wasn't revealed what those questions were.
The case comes from a 2015 press conference after Trump's presidential announcement when he said that immigrants were rapists and murderers. Those outside of the press conference alleged in the complaint that they were roughed up Trump's bodyguards, including Keith Schiller.
Protesters "Efrain Galicia and four other Mexican activists displayed a 'Make America Racist Again' banner outside the building on Sept. 3, 2015," recalled the Daily Beast. "They also wore parody Ku Klux Klan costumes after Trump was endorsed by former KKK leader David Duke."
The protesters have fought in court saying that the bodyguards were acting on behalf of Donald Trump, and as such he should be included in the lawsuit for damages. The court agreed and allowed the deposition with the now-former president to move forward.
Litman noted on Twitter that the judge allowed Dictor to ask Trump about the racism seen at his rallies and some of the racist things Trump has said publicly.
And an important detail: the judge let the plaintiffs’ lawyer asked Trone about his incendiary race- and immigrant… https://t.co/pzILX4BpaU— Harry Litman (@Harry Litman) 1634586272.0
Litman then appeared on MSNBC's "Deadline White House" with Nicolle Wallace after a supercut of videos showing Trump encouraging his own supporters to hurt, fight and harm any protesters at his rallies.
It "sure sounds like the portrait of someone who's authorized his bodyguards to use violence," said Litman. "That's what the plaintiffs say. And very significantly, Keith Schiller, the actual goon who we have on video tape said that he was authorized to use violence. Very significantly, Nicole, the judge let those snippets be played today."
He went on to say that he's not sure a lot of judges would have allowed the video like that to be shown in court, saying that it was "too far," but in this case, the judge did.
"I do think it makes settlement more likely because we are now, everybody, going to see this deposition," said Litman. "It's designed to be played at trial if there's a trial. And the only way to keep it from now being made public is if he settles the case at a pretty penny, I would think because the plaintiffs now know they have some sort of leverage over him."
See the video below:
Trump's deposition www.youtube.com
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Trump refuses to answer questions in deposition over lawsuit that his security team assaulted protesters: report
October 18, 2021
This Monday, former President Donald Trump testified under oath for over four hours regarding an incident in 2015 when activists outside Trump Tower were attacked by his security team while they were protesting.
The protesters said they were assaulted during a rally outside Trump Tower over the then-candidate's comments that Mexican immigrants were criminals and rapists.
According to The Daily Beast, the activists' lawyer, Benjamin Dictor, said there were a handful of questions that Trump declined to answer.
"This deposition was like any other deposition of an employer who was a defendant in a civil matter," Dictor told The Daily Beast. "Everything proceeded professionally."
"On Monday, the ex-president was expected to be questioned about whether he authorized or condoned his henchmen to manhandle protesters or otherwise remove activists from his events in general, as well as what role one particular guard—Keith Schiller—played in Trump's inner circle," The Beast reports. "Among the other potential subjects of inquiry on Monday was Matthew Calamari, the Trump Organization's chief operating officer and former director of security who was present the day of the rally. Last month, sources told The Daily Beast that Calamari was under scrutiny by Manhattan prosecutors as part of a tax fraud probe into the business and its executives."
Read the full report over at The Daily Beast.
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