A deal has been struck by Steve Bannon and special counsel Robert Mueller's team to ensure that Bannon will be interviewed by prosecutors instead of testifying before the grand jury.
Bannon is expected to cooperate with the special counsel according to sources close to the matter who did not also say when the interview will take place or if the subpoena would be withdrawn.
The former White House chief strategist for President Donald Trump is expected to talk openly to Mueller's team. His attorney told the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday that Bannon would answer questions when he goes to the special counsel because executive privilege would not apply.
Sometime last week, the FBI attempted to serve Bannon with a subpoena to appear before the grand jury in the Russia probe. However, He referred agents to his attorney, multiple sources revealed.
The deal between the special counsel and Bannon follows the publishing of Michael Wolff's book "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," which claimed Bannon called the June 2016 meeting between senior Trump presidential campaign staff and a Russian lawyer promising dirt on Hillary Clinton "treasonous."
Appearing before the House Intelligence Committee to give a testimony, Bannon downplayed the comments published in Wolff's book, saying it was "hyperbole" that he described the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and members of the Trump campaign with Russians as treasonous and unpatriotic.
Part of the reason as to why Mueller may have decided to issue a subpoena is that Bannon publicly changed his story when he issued a statement on the book's contents, walking back some of what was reported. According to the source that is familiar with the process, Bannon revealed that Mueller’s team may have been seeking to send a message that he needs to disclose what unfolded.
Speaking to CNN, the California Rep. Adam Schiff revealed that the White House instructed Bannon not to answer questions regarding the presidential transition and his time in the White House. According to Schiff, the White House attorney reconfirmed that the matter should continue after the committee served Bannon with a subpoena during the interview yesterday.
