President Donald Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon has been subpoenaed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller to testify before a grand jury in a probe into alleged ties between Russia and Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, according to American newspaper reports.
It was the first time Mueller is known to have used a subpoena against a member of Trump's inner circle, the New York Times said on Tuesday.
It cited a person with direct knowledge of the matter.
Special counsel Robert Mueller has reportedly issued a subpoena to President's Trump former chief strategist Steve Bannon. Source: AAP
Bannon was among the Republican's closest aides during the 2016 election campaign, the presidential transition and during his first months in office.
But the pair had a bitter public falling out over comments Bannon made to author Michael Wolff for his recent book 'Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.'
In the book, Bannon is quoted as describing a June 2016 meeting between Trump associates, including the president's son Donald Trump Jr., his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and a Russian lawyer, as "treasonous" and "unpatriotic."
The meeting came after Donald Trump Jr. was told in an email that the Russian government had compromising information about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, to which he replied: "I love it."
Bannon was fired by the White House in August and returned to the right-wing news website Breitbart News. He continued to speak with Trump and tried to promote the president's agenda.
But Trump accused Bannon of having "lost his mind" when news of his comments to Wolff surfaced earlier this month.
Mueller's subpoena, which was issued last week, could be a pressure tactic to induce Bannon to cooperate fully with his investigation, the NY Times reported.
Separately on Tuesday, Bannon was meeting with the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee. He is the latest high-profile figure to testify before the panel as part of its investigation into Russia interference in the US election.
Russia has denied meddling in the election and Trump has denied there was any collusion between his campaign and Moscow.
Later in the week, the panel will hear from former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and White House Communications Director Hope Hicks, who served as Trump's spokeswoman during his presidential campaign.
Share
