Stephen Bannon, President Trump’s former chief strategist, has been subpoenaed by special counsel Robert Mueller to testify before a grand jury as part of the investigation into possible links between Trump’s associates and Russia, the New York Times reports. It was the first time Mueller is known to have used a grand jury subpoena to seek information from a member of Trump’s inner circle. A second subpoena for Bannon to testify came from a House panel on Tuesday. The Mueller subpoena could be a negotiating tactic. Mueller is likely to allow Bannon to avoid the grand jury appearance if he agrees to instead be questioned by investigators in the less formal setting of the special counsel’s offices. It was not clear why Mueller treated Bannon differently from the dozen officials who have been interviewed and were never served with a subpoena.
The subpoena is a sign that Bannon is not personally the focus of the inquiry. On Tuesday, he was questioned for 10 hours behind closed doors before the House Intelligence Committee, which is also conducting a Russian election meddling investigation. The meeting turned contentious as Bannon repeatedly said he could not answer questions, citing executive privilege. The committee eventually subpoenaed Bannon to compel him to provide answers. Mueller issued the subpoena after Bannon was quoted in a new book criticizing Trump, saying that Donald Trump Jr.’s 2016 meeting with Russians was “treasonous” and predicting that the special counsel investigation would center on money laundering.