Steve Bannon's attorney relayed questions, in real time, to the White House during a House Intelligence Committee interview of the former Donald Trump chief strategist, people familiar with the closed-door session told The Associated Press.
Politicians probed Bannon's time working for Trump, Bannon's attorney Bill Burck was asking the White House counsel's office by phone during the Tuesday session whether his client could answer the questions. He was told not to discuss his work on the transition or in the White House.
It's unclear who Burck was communicating with in the White House or whether it was top White House lawyer Don McGahn, who Burck is also representing in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia.
The conversations were confirmed by a White House official and a second person familiar with Bannon's interview. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly.
Bannon refused to answer a broad array of queries from the House Intelligence Committee about his time working for Trump, leading the committee chairman to authorise a subpoena.
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Politicians were expecting a similar fight on Wednesday with Trump's White House as another senior aide, Rick Dearborn, appears for a private interview with committee.
The developments brought to the forefront questions about White House efforts to control what current and former aides tell Congress about their time in Trump's inner circle, and whether Republicans on Capitol Hill would force the issue.
