bannon to answer our questions. we want him to turn over whatever records he possesses that are relevant to the select committee's investigation. the issue in front of us today is our ability to do our job. it is about fulfilling our responsibilities according to health resolution 503 to provide the american people answers about what happened january 6 and help ensure nothing like that may ever happen again. we fulfill our responsibilities by discovering the facts behind the january 6 attack so that congress can consider legislation with a full understanding of the activities that lead to an attack on congress itself. i want to make it clear how isolated mr. bannon is in his refusal to cooperate with the select committee. we have reached out to dozens of witnesses. we are taking in thousands of pages of records, conducting interviews on a study basis. this is a serious, focused investigation. it is not flashy and gets results. it is essential we get mr. bannon's factual and complete testimony to get a full a ccounti

bannon is doing?terial witness in a criminal prosecution or some other lawsuit, what would happen if you refused to show up? do you think you would be able to just go about your business? we all know the answer to that. there isn't a different set of rules for mr. bannon. he knows this. he knows that there are consequences for outright defiance. and he's chosen the path to criminal contempt by taking this position. and there are better matters at stake. one of the major questions the select committee is dealing with is whether the rule of law will be able to endure as a pillar of american democracy. after all, we've seen the rule of law put to the test repeatedly in our recent past. while we don't know all the facts, we do know that there was a powerful push to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 election. americans have been and continue to be lied to about that. we know that ultimately there was a violent attack that interfered with the peaceful transfer of power from one president to anothe

bannon and mr.mp's privilege arguments do however appear to reveal one thing. , they suggest president trump was personally involved in the planning and execution of january 6. and this committee will get to the bottom of that. let me add one further thought for my republican colleagues. we all agree america is the greatest nation on the face of god's earth. truth, justice, and our constitution have made america great. almost every one of my colleagues knows in your heart that what happened on january 6 was profoundly wrong. you all know that there is no evidence of widespread election fraud sufficient to have changed the results of the election. you all know that the dominion voting machines were not corrupted by a foreign power. you know these claims are false. yet former president trump repeats them almost daily. he has now urged republicans not to vote in 2022 and 2024. this is a prescription for national self-destruction. i asked i colleagues -- my colleagues to please consider the fundamental

bannon is doing?ecution of some other lawsuit, what would happen if you refused to show up? do you think you'd be able to just go about your business? we all know the answer to that. there isn't a different set of rules for mr. bannon. he knows this. he knows that there are consequences for out right defiance and he's chosen the path toward criminal contempt by taking this position. and there are better matters at stake. one of the major questions the select committee is dealing with is whether the rule of law will be able to endure as a pillar of american democracy. after all, we've seen the rule of law put to the test repeatedly in our recent past while we don't know all the facts, we do know that there was a powerful push to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 election. americans have been and continue to be lied to about that. we know that ultimately, there was a violent attack that interfered with the peaceful transfer of power from one president to another. we know that lies about the ou

will he charge steve bannon?sion tonight while negotiating another component of his spending plan. will he use the progressives over this key con investigation? >>> and proof that trump supporters are more loyal than ever. video from a trump rally that you will see to believe. let's go outfront. and good evening. i'm erin burnett. out front tonight the breaking news. we are awaiting a vote this hour by the january 6th committee to an

now steve bannon. and now steve bannon. mr. bannon is a target of the investigation for the investigation because, quote -- this is from the select committee's own report -- quote, his efforts to plan political activity, that's the standard. if you're involved in political activity, they're going to investigate you. we know what this is really about. this is about getting at president trump. getting at president trump. tried to stop president trump before he was even elected with the russia investigation. tried to remove president trump from office twice. while he was in office they tried to do that, and now they're trying to get him after the fact, after he's left. all because this guy cut taxes, reduced regulations, the greatest economy in 50 years, the lowest unemployment all because he built a wall, got us out of the iran deal. americans got their christmas presents on time. but they're coming after him. the roeuter story said this. they don't care the fbi has no evidence. no evidence of a coordinated plan. they don't care.

now steve bannon. now steve bannon. mr. bannon is a target of the investigation, quote, his efforts to plan political activity, that's the standard. you are involved in political activity, they are going to investigate you. we know this is what about. this is about getting at president trump. try to stop president trump before he was even elected with the russian investigation, tried to remove president trump from office twice while he was in office and tried to do that and now trying to get him after the fact after he has left all because he cut taxes and greatest economy in the history, lowest unemployment all because he built the wall and put the embassy in jerusalem and americans got their christmas presents on time. the reuters story said this, the f.b.i. has found no evidence that people around him were not in charge. no evidence of a coordinated plan. they are going to drag these 11 people in for depositions with subpoenas because they are so determined to get their political enemies. the speaker pro tempore: the gen

bannon in contempt. what happens next is that there will be a vote on the matter in the full house. just before we got on the air, moments ago, the house majority leader steny hoyer announced that that vote in the full house will happen the day after thunderstorm, on thursday. if, as probably expected, the majority of the house votes in favor of holding steve bannon in contempt, what happens then is the matter gets referred to the justice department for inosecution.ro it will actually be up to the u.s. attorney in washington, d.c., to decide whether or not to bring a federal contempt prosecution again bannon. but the house will decide on thursday whether to recommend that, to refer that, essentially, to that prosecutor. if the prosecutor decides to bring a prosecution against pr bannon, that will not be the first time the justice department has prosecuted someone for defying a congressional subpoena, but it's a rare thing. it has been a while since this has happen. the last time the justice department in

bannon was in trouble. perhaps he wanted to be back in the good graces with the man with unequivocal pardon power. he began telling trump the things trump wanted to hear. it paid off it appears. in his final hours in the white house, after much back and forth, donald trump, the president, pardoned barn at the last minute. so now it appears the one-time trump campaign chairman feels confident about where he stands as he willfully defies congressional oversight with bogus claims of privilege. while this vote was a preliminary step, it appears that steve bannon's legal headaches may are far from over in the end. congressman adam schiff sits on the select committee committee investigating january 6th. congressman, you have said this in the days leading up to this. i don't think it was unexpected that bannon would thumb his nose at the committee. i am struck by the speed at which this is going. the vote happened tonight. what happens next? >> i expect we will take this up on the floor very soon. i am not in a po

steve bannon is defying congress.ing at the electoral fallout of being too associated with steve bannon, but to your point about why these cops are on television, i will say that one of the -- to use betsy's term, one of the gutting things about watching officer fanone was the way that the contrast between how seriously he takes what happened and understands the danger here in contrast to condolezz rice who says we should just move on and i've always admired condolzza rice, and we talk about the republican party but it's the failure of the leaders, those who ought to be the best among the republicans and you work with condolezza rice and i have to say that came as a gut punch to see her saying, can we just move on. that contrast between someone who had been at the pinnacles of government saying, yeah, can we just turn the page and this street cop who is explaining why that can't happen and the threat to democracy. that contrast is pretty dramatic and it does tell you something about our politics, something that we hav

bannon's amendment rights. this building on january 6 and mr. bannon's claim that the election was stolen helped formulate that attack. investigating that is also part of our charter. madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. >> the gentlelady from wyoming. >> thank you very much, madam speaker. madam speaker, i just wanted to correct the record. the gentleman from indiana asserted that the fbi found there was no coordination. that's just simply not true. the gentleman also said that he is not on the committee. he noted that the speaker had determined that he wouldn't be on the committee, so i would like to introduce for the record a number of letters the gentleman from indiana has been sending to federal agencies dated september 16, 2021, for example, signing his name as the ranking member of the committee he has just informed the house that he is not on and, in fact, he is not on. i would like to introduce those for the record. now, madam speaker, i would like to yield to representative lofgren. >> how

bannon is doing? if you were a material witness in a criminal prosecution or some other lawsuit, it's a shame that mr. bannon has put us in this position, but we won't take no for an answer. no one in this country, no matter how wealthy or how powerful, is above the law. we won't be deterred. we won't be distracted. and we won't be delayed. >> well, a person found liable for contempt of congress could face a fine and one year in prison, but the process is rarely used. this is designed to send a message to others under subpoena. ryan nobles reports on what's ahead. >> reporter: the house select committee designed to investigate the january 6 insurrection has formally reported out a criminal contempt referral against steve bannon. the trump ally, who as a podcast host and conservative provocateur, encouraged people to come to washington on january 6, inciting what he called a revolution in the days leading up to that event. the committee, holding a 30-minute meeting on tuesday night where they voted 9-0

bannon's and mr. trump's privileged arguments, do however, appeared to reveal one thing, they suggest that president trump, was personally involved in the planning in execution of january 6th in this committee will get to the bottom of that. >> served as associate white house counts are under president barack obama, cofounder and executive -- protector micro a non partisan organization, dedicated to fighting efforts to undermine democracy, we all expect the next few days this will be voted out of the full house and then go department of justice and i think there's really open question, about what happens when this, lands on a mayor garland's desk, and you've worked as a government, lawyer you worked in the way, as you've sort of been around the circles of people that will be making the decisions, on this i'm wondering, what is your perspective on it? >> i think the good side, is in the letter from white house counsel dana, remiss that rejected the claims of executive, privilege and turning over, docum

i don't know if steve bannon is trying to martyr himself, i don't know if steve bannon thinks that 12et in good shape and begin the next chapter of his career and write a book, like others have fun from the fascist movement. but in the end, what congress needs to do and to send a signal to all the witnesses, is you will comply with these lawful subpoenas and we will use the full weight, the full power of this committee under the constitution of the united states to enforce them, full stop. >> and donald trump is out here urging defiance. it's one thing for people who are fan fiction and writing things online to react to that, it's another for those who would end up in the slammer and have their life affected that way. it's also a long ways from where bannon claimed to be because they did have a falling out, when i interviewed him once in his townhouse where he does some of his media and other political work, i pressed him on this point. i'm curious your reaction because apparently it's shifted. this is back when he was saying he didn't care much of what trump even thought of him. take

he said it's not just about steve bannon.s about showing congress can follow through and do its job. walk me through what we expect to see with this contempt vote later this afternoon. >> what kenz ger said there is the same thing his fellow republican liz cheney has said throughout this process really trying to speak to republicans and her fellow conservatives appealing to her better angels and trying to unlink the hold that former president donald trump still has over the bulk of his party. while we do expect to see, in kinzinger's words, that a handful of republicans may join the vote and send it over to doj, that's not even a small part of the republican party. the majority still stands in the former president's corner as he continues to tell the big lie about the 2020 election, which of course fed into the events here on january 6th. what we do expect, though, you said this vote could come in about an hour. that's an optimistic timeline. what we're watching to see here is after they end this debate period, whether or not

bannon did not qualify. post also cites attorneys take opposing view, but cooper's take is particularly noteworthy because he represented john bolton in his subpoena during the ukraine scandal in 2019. beyond legal case, the january 6 is making, last night's report also provides details on the specific communications the committee is seeking offering a roadmap and the case they're building against him. the request includes documents relating to a january 5th meeting with members of congress at the willard hotel, financing, and fund raising, to assist with anyone's travel to the rally. the organization known as march for trump and its activities related to january 6 and quote anyone with whom he communicated with respects to efforts, plan or proposals to contest the 2020 election results or delay, influence, or impede the electoral count. the case taking shape against steve bannon and what he could offer the committee on donald trump is where we start today with some of our friends. michelle, joyce vance, for

bannon from testimony. mr. bannon's and mr. trump's privilege arguments do, however, appear to reveal one thing. they suggest that president trump was personally involved in the planning and execution of january 6. and this committee will get to the bottom of that. >> the committee's recommendation now goes before the full house, which is expected to hold a vote on thursday. if it passes as expected, a criminal referral will then be sent over to the justice department. doj can then present the case to a grand jury and bannon could then be formally charged with contempt of congress. all of that takes time. as that issue heads to the house floor, president biden spent today pressuring his own party, democrats, to finally get behind his priorities. tonight the "washington post" reporting biden told liberal democrats he believes a deal on a new tax and spending proposal, quote, between $1.75 trillion and $1.9 trillion is a possibility. that is substantially less, of course, than the original bernie sanders budget agreement which ad

bannon to answer our questions.e select committee's investigation. the issue in front of us today is our ability to do our job. finally there seems to be some urgency in washington regarding the subversion of justice. people trying to flout the law and subpoenas. and we need that urgency when it comes to getting something done, a deal on infrastructure, and especially v

, 2020, have a reckoning and focus on the 6th bannon says to trump. this is the moment where trump began to pivot. on january 6th, bannon at the hotel with rudy giuliani and jason miller talking to trump who was calling from the white house updating them on pence saying pence is very arrogant and he's not moving and they make a decision late at night to issue a statement saying pence is in total agreement with trump, moving the election to the white house even though pence is not. this is about trump and bannon and rudy giuliani coordinating an effort to overturn an election and prevent biden from taking office. >> phil rucker, i know you recall all too well the presidency of donald trump that you covered, let's say this white house and doj do not enjoy the same symbiotic relationship as if doj have moved into the west wing for a time there. how does the white house handle this going forward? >> well, byline, this is an administration, the biden administration that's trying to stick to the traditional norms, the traditional independence that the justi

will merrick garland prosecute bannon?nn's town hall. anderson cooper is getting ready for that up to hall right now and will join me next. let's go outfront. >>> good evening, i'm erin burnett. we are less than o

bannon has put us in this position, but

bannon in contempt.sition, but instead of complying with our probe, mr. bannon has chosen the path of total defiance. >> steve bannon doesn't just hold the house of representatives in contempt, he seems to hold donald trump in contempt at times in michael wolff's first book about the trump presidency titled "fire and fury." it may be that michael wolff has spent more time speaking with steve bannon than donald trump has, and michael wolff's new book "too famous," he writes bannon is a man who can't stop talking, and we logged hundreds of hours of conversation together in trump tower, the white house, the frat style accommodations he occupied on capitol hill, the luxury suites he favored when he was in new york. michael wolff tells the story of how steve bannon joined the trump team when donald -- when he was running breitbart website which was funded by the mercers, a rich republican family. in august 2016 he read an article in the "new york times" about the collapsing trump campaign. he called the merce

steve bannon is clearly a warning shot. they want bannon to know and they want other witnesses to know that they're not fooling around. it can be a very long process as preet will tell you, but i think it speaks to the tenor of the message they're trying to send. and especially with steve bannon, who they see as a critical witness to january 5th. someone who had many phone calls with president trump. especially that december 30th call we know about where he tells him to come back f. then when he's in the willard hotel with rudy giuliani and they're calling back and forth to the white house. >> i thought it was very significant and news worthy, preet, what he said about jeff riff ro rey rosen. who answered questions behind closed doors, but eventually we'll get the public transcript. for eight hours. what was your reaction? >> i think it's very significant. we are right to focus on the people who are going to be instructing and a dating process and not appearing to testify in front of the january 6th committee including stev

the bannon case isn't just about him. there's almost a dozen other people who have been subpoenaed by the january 6 committee. lawyers for all of them are going to be watching to see how this contempt process plays out and how they advise their clients going forward. that includes my next guest, stanley brand, who is now representing the deputy chief of staff for trump, dan scavino. stanley, welcome. one step back and then we'll get to the current state of play. what is your understanding of why your client was hiding from the subpoena? >> i don't have one. i was just hired in this case two days ago, so i don't know what went on with respect to service of process. >> really? you've had no conversations? i know it would be privileged, but just in terms of the universe of discussion, there was no talk about where he was all that time they were trying to find him? >> i wasn't involved, as i say, until two days ago. there's nothing magical about them having to serve process. this happens all the time, and i don't know what ca

bannon because of his opinions.we issued the subpoena because we believe he has knowledge of relevant facts that we need to discover. we are not violating anything, bannon's amendment rights. the only violation we can about is the violation of this building on january 6. and mr. bannon's claim that the election wasped foment that attack. investigating that is also part of our charge. madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from wyoming. ms. cheney: thank yr. madam speaker, i just wanted to correct the record. the gentleman the f.b.i. found there was no coordination. that's just simply not true. the gentleman also said he is not on the committee. the speaker had determined he wouldn't be on the committee. so i would like to introduce for the record a number of letters the gentleman from indiana has been sending to federal agencies dated september 16 2021 for example, the ranking member of the committee he's just inf the house he's not on and in fact is not on. i'd like

bannon's and mr. trump's privilege arguments do appear to reveal they suggest that president trump was personally involved in the planning and execution of january 6th. what was your reaction to that point? >> that's a great point. it's similar to what you would refer to as an adverse inference to someone who takes the fifth amendment in a civil case and basically the law is that you could use that assertion of the fifth amendment, you can't use it against them in a criminal case but take an inference against them in a similar case. it's a similar idea in impeachment we said every time you obstruct, you are essentially admitting that you have incup tory evidence and that's exactly what liz cheney is saying. she is saying you cannot assert executive privilege unless you have relevant information to our committee, which is investigating january 6th. so by the fact that you are asserting some executive privilege over documents or testimony it means there is relevant information that you donald trump, the

>> bannon is doing exactly what trump wants. he is now back in the trump circle, in a sense, he was out of it for years after his break with president trump in 2017. but it's clear he was talking to president trump during the final days of the administration. but brian, it's not just about the phone calls between bannon in trump. think about the proximity of where this will it war room was on the night of january 5th, we try to answer as many questions as we could, peril, but there are many unanswered questions for this committee. especially this one, did people who were in the ban and loot giuliani war room at the willard, communicate or have any exchanges in any way with the gathering crowd of about boys and oath keepers who are outside that same hotel that same night. that was the mob that was gathering, and hollering, and clashing with police on the night before. and they were in the same exact block as bannon giuliani jason miller and, others. and for the fbi, the doj, and congress. the real question is where did lines inte

bannon for criminal contempt. select committee that we will convene for a business meeting tuesday evening to vote on adopting a contempt report. ana, the timing of this is very important. this is a process. it's not as if bennie thompson can just wave his finger and steve bannon is then put under arrest. what will have to happen first is what is mentioned in this statement. they will have a business meeting just of the select committee on tuesday night where they will vote to adopt this referral. it will then go to the full house of representatives, and the house of representatives will have to vote on it. from there it will be referred to the department of justice who then can execute the criminal contempt charge, so this is significant though because it shows that the committee, as they have told us, you know, quite frequently over the past couple of days, that they are not messing around in terms of their commitment to trying to get these witnesses to comply. bannon has been the most vocal in his direct opposi

they need bannon. there is a lot of information they have from raffensperger. >> the context of all this if you are relying on the doj, reputations have been bruised and merrick garland is trying to turn this around. now this is on his plate. you have known him for a lock time, what do you think he's going to do? this was not a close case as gloria was saying. there is no executive privilege here because it belongs to biden. bannon was not even, even if there were executive privilege, erin, he was not working in the k executive branch. he's claiming attorney/client privilege. one thing we know about merrick garland, he's a laumw man. he's not going to turn his back on this and in a clear case like this, it can move quickly and i have to ask what does bannon have to hide? why not come in and cooperate? why is trump covering all this up? why are we having this sto stonewalling that we had in the white house when he was there? they're hiding and it's not going to work. >> will any of this actually scare b

i think it's that dramatic. >> steve bannon is over here. [ applause ] >> reporter: bannon's turns inlways thrilled his most famous boss, who was reportedly annoyed when bannon showed up on the cover of "time," which trump clearly craves. >> i would love to know what advice you would give to donald trump if he didn't leave even after he lost. because i saw hillary clinton. >> you're obsessed with this. >> why do you think he's not going to leave? >> wait a second. >> because he's an insane narcissist? >> bannon has been firmly in the losing candidate's corner trotting out guests to insist the riot was the work of antifa and the work of federal agents. >> 226 antifa members were tasked with making what should've been a peaceful protest a riot. >> reporter: and insisting prosecutors are dead wrong to say these are trump's and his people. >> either they're totally incompetent or they're lying to you. they're either totally incompetent or they're lying to you. pick them. >> there are no facts to back that up. but listen to bannon's podcast, watch his interviews, and you will see he has ve

bannon doesn't want to testify before congress.ed in a prosecution of him for sedition or for insurrection. so i think he -- his next step, he is going to start to consider whether to take the fifth and not show up in congress because he could end up testifying against himself. >> so, it -- if -- but -- but, professor, if this is a misdemeanor, i mean, can he just -- he can do that? he can just plead the fifth? not show up in congress and what would happen? he pays a fine for the misdemeanor? >> well, what would happen is that he would still litigate and try to claim that there is executive privilege here. the supreme court is very leery of these cases. they have asked the lower-court judges to try to get congress and the president, in the past, to compromise and reach some kind of deal. there is another interesting question here is joe biden has already waived executive privilege so it's not clear whether president trump can even claim the right to secrecy here at all. that's something the supreme court really has to weigh and dec

but it's not just about bannon, and i do think that's important. we heard many of the committee members say today that they want to send a message not just to bannon but to all of these other individuals that they're trying to get information from, not just the ones that they've issued subpoenas to, but even people they've reached out to on a volunteer basis to try to get them to come in and talk to them or submit documents. they're in search of as much information as possible, and what they're demonstrating by this action against steve bannon this week is that they'll use whatever tool they have available to them to get that information. >> elie, listen, that is really the thrust of my question to you because this announcement coming in prime-time, it is a very strong message to steve bannon and anyone else who is thinking of defying the committee. what is at stake for him and others? >> yeah. so, don, i think what's really at stake here, narrow view, of course, will steve bannon go to prison, or will the threat of a prison sentence compel him to

that bannon be held in contempt after hearing from lawmakers on the january six committee. also, her from good measure trump acolytes jim jordan and matt gates who showed up just to speak against the move to subpoena bannon. during one lively exchange, games made sure to push the former presidents lies about election fraud. do you accept that joe biden won the 2020 presidential election? >> i accept that joe biden is the president. >> do you accept that he won by 7 million votes, and if he did donald trump -- a margin that donald trump or landslide when he beat hillary clinton by the same numbers? >> i think that our election was uniquely polluted by these indiscriminate mail-in ballots. >> today just to remove any doubt republican house leaders officially reminded their members to vote no, on holding bannon in contempt. one of them used a trump to refrain to renounce the one six committees body of work. >> i think you're seeing most members get tired of the which hansen the games, let's focus on policies that affect everyday families right now, instead of these partners in

bannon in contempt.ion. but instead of complying with our approval our mr. granite has shown in the past of snow total depart defiance. >> steve bannon doesn't just hold the votes to house representative contempt, he seems to hold donald trump in context at times. and michael wolf's first book about the trump presidency, file fire and fury. it may be that michael wolf has spent more time speaking with spin steve bannon and then donald trump has. and michael's new book, two famous, he writes bannon is a man who can't stop talking and we logged hundreds of hours of conversation in trump tower, the white house, the front side accommodations yuck occupied on capitol hill, the luxury suites he favored when he was in new york. michael wolf tells the story of how steve bannon joined the trump gang, when he was running the website which was then funded by the mercer's, a rich republican family. in august 2016, he read an article in the new york times about the collapsing trump campaign. he called the mercer's, w

then came this _ bannon in the same path. then came this from _ bannon in the same path.s from one _ bannon in the same path. then came this from one of- bannon in the same path. then came this from one of the - bannon in the same path. then came this from one of the two l came this from one of the two republicans on the committee. based on the committee's investigation it appears that mr bannon had substantial advance knowledge of the plans forjanuary six. and like we had — forjanuary six. and like we had an— forjanuary six. and like we had an important role in formulating those plans. the committee — formulating those plans. the committee voted _ formulating those plans. tie: committee voted unanimously formulating those plans. tte: committee voted unanimously to hold him in contempt of congress. the matter will go to a full vote of the house later this week whereupon it will be “p this week whereupon it will be up to the usjustice department to decide whether to pursue criminal charges against him. behind all this is donald trump. earlierthis behind all this is donald

bannon to answer our questions. we want him to turn over whatever records he possesses that are relevant to the select committee's investigation. the issue in front of us today is our ability to do our job. finally there seems to be some urgency in washington regarding the subversion of justice. people trying to flout the law and subpoenas. and we need that urgency when it comes to getting something done, a deal on infrastructure, and especially voting rights. where is the lie? am i wrong? >> well, i agree with that. i don't know where the january 6 committee gets you in terms of what i believe the hill was to die on for democrats, which is putting voting rights into a place that they're safe based on what's happening across the country right now. but it's up to them what they decided to do. they're trying to get the spending bill and infrastructure bill done. we'll see how it takes them. but the part of that document that matters most is the resolution creating the committee, which says you want to find the facts a

attorney charge steve bannon. because bannon could say, i had advice of counsel, i don't know what's to do, donald trump told me that i should not give this information, because it's subject to executive privilege. who am i to tell him that he does not have that right. that's for a court to tell him. these could all be defenses. but they are not a defense to him simply showing up and testify, which the law is very clear, that he must do. >> so, does the u.s. attorney, reach out to bannon's attorney, and say, listen, we are going to present this to a grand jury, we have it, do you want to talk about reaching some kind of agreement with the house, before we do this? >> my guess is that steve bannon's lawyer, we'll ask to present to the u.s. attorney, and he will try to make the case, that bannon should not be prosecuted, and he'll present some of those arguments that i just made. that bannon has a reasonable belief that he needs to listen to donald trump, and therefore he is not doing this by his own will. he's doin

and remember, bannon and trump had that ugly falling-out, bannon claiming he didn't know trump all thate going their own ways. >> what is your current relationship with president trump? >> you can see it every day on tv. it's exactly what people report. president trump is doing his thing, i'm doing my thing. i didn't really know president trump that well before i stepped in as ceo of the campaign. >> do you think he still believes what he said about you? >> i don't know and i don't care. >> bannon claiming he didn't know and didn't care. they're both out there doing their own things. now they're doing this one big thing together. defying the probe into january 6th, that infamous day that bannon hyped in advance and continues to defend on his show. >> saying we need to kill the biden presidency in the crib. >> yeah, because its legitimacy. it killed itself. people are going, you got to do this, call for martial law, insurrection. chill. this is exactly what they're trying to do. basically bring charges against president trump to stop his sweeping victory that is going to come. >> the oth

and when people violate the laws of the united states like bannon is doing.ng on him. it's simple. that's why they, that's why we have a justice department. >> mike? >> i could not agree more. i mean, leg irons, racket busters. grab them, haul them in. rule of law. if i were steve bannon, i would get off the right wing nut sites for a minute online and google cheney family. you know, if she had her way, she'd have him up side down and underwater. i think the committee will play hard ball here and the cause is just. this is not another political squabble where subpoenas are a pr trick, it's the real deal. they should get the federal cops and haul his ass in and mark meadows and any of the accomplices that are trying to be cute. >> you guys are never boring, that is why we keep having you back and we are lucky both have agreed to stick around as we get a break in. former president obama getting involved in the georgia governor's race. there's polling out there that explains why you bring in a big gun right about now. at heinz, every ketchup starts with our same

first, the bannon vote and congress is about to vote. walk us through this and the expectations for the timing of this process. >> yeah. three key decision points. first of all, the january 6th committee will vote tonight at 7:30 on whether to recommend contempt. at that point it goes to the flor of the house of representatives where it will take a majority vote in the house to officially hold steve bannon in contempt. at that the point it goes over to the justice department, and that's where the final make-or-break decision will be made it. will be presumably be made by the attorney general, by merrick garland. this is going to be a legacy-defining decision for merrick garland. look, he's under political pressure, adam schiff and other members of the committee have been out there essentially saying we're counting on you, mr. attorney general. joe biden was asked by our kaitlan collins do you think bannon should be charged with criminal contempt and he said straight up yes, i do. doj pushed back on that, but ultimately it will be merrick

will merrick garland prosecute bannon? >>> and president joe biden about to face voters in cnn's town hall. anderson cooper is getting ready for that up to hall right now and will join me next. let's go outfront. >>> good evening, i'm erin burnett. we are less than one hour away from cnn's town hall with president biden. anderson cooper will join me in just a moment for a preview. you can see that live location there in baltimore, maryland. first, we have breaking news. the fbi just confirming the human remains found in that florida nature reserve are indeed those of 23-year-old brian laundrie. the news coming exactly one month after we learned that laundrie's fiancee, gabby petito, was murdered in wyoming by strangulation. tonight we're also learning about a crucial piece of evidence that could shed light on how petito died. a note booker discovered near laundrie's remains we're learning tonight is possibly salvageable, according to a source. leyla santiago is live. i know you had a chance to speak with an official from n

but listen to bannon's podcast.will see that he has very little use for facts unless they back this notion that america as we know it must end so america as he would have it can begin. anderson. >> tom foreman, thanks. perspective now from cnn political analyst and "new york times" washington correspondent, maggie haberman. so, maggie, bannon's talking about the white house with the former president was short lived. no one ever seems does no matter how egregious their -- their crimes. their alleged crimes. where do you see this all going with him? >> i think that where it may go is he is going to file some kind of a lawsuit or someone will file some kind of a lawsuit, possibly the former president, to try to raise the question of whether executive privilege would apply to bannon. now, there is not -- actually, not a lot of case law on this. just a common sense reading of the law looks at it as bannon was not working in the executive chamber when this event happened. he was not a formal adviser to trump in the white

steve bannon had said no. that's why he is getting a criminal referral. >> can you imagine a scenario, sir, of anybody in mississippi. let's make a theoretical case. black lives matter protesters in your home state saying we've been subpoenaed. we ain't coming. can you imagine any other situation in the criminal justice system where a prosecutor would say in advance we dent want to be too hard on them because of their associations with black lives matter. so we fear that that might radicalize them. can you imagine that being said about anyone other than trump supporters? >> well, given the double standard that people of color in my state have had to endure for quite a long time, that means that most black people who go on to jail in mississippi would come out radicalized. but that's not the case. so clearly i think merrick garland needs to rethink his position that he's credited with having. we can't have that. look, january 6, joy, was awful. it was not a movement. people saw it in realtime. they saw it with