Former Trump chief ally Steve Bannon is reportedly lawyering up in preparation to “fully cooperate” with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
According to The Daily Beast, Bannon retained the services of lawyer Bill Burck of the firm Quinn Emanuel. The Beast reports that Burck also represents White House Counsel Don McGahn and former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus “for the purposes of the Russia probe.”
“Two sources tell us Burck is helping Bannon prepare for an interview with the House intelligence committee, which is currently scheduled for next week,” the Beast reports. “Sources also said Bannon plans to ‘fully cooperate’ with investigators.”
Bannon’s retention of Burck’s services is leading many to speculate that he’s planning to turn on Trump.
From The Daily Beast:
Until recently, Bannon had largely avoided becoming publicly ensnared in the Russia investigation. But behind the scenes, Bannon sought to play a role in Team Trump’s handling of the issue. He privately advised the president in October to get more aggressive in fighting back against Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, and urged Trump to hire new lawyers.
That fall-out was due in part to the Russia probe; it came after Michael Wolff’s book Fire and Fury quoted Bannon as saying that the infamous Trump Tower meeting between Donald Trump Jr., Paul Manafort, and Jared Kushner with Kremlin-linked Russian operatives was “treasonous.” (Bannon later claimed that the criticism was meant only for Manafort, a seasoned campaign operative who should have known better.)
Writing in USA Today, GOP strategist Cheri Jacobus speculated that Bannon may be gearing up for revenge after his ouster from Breitbart and being cut off from his primary funding source, the Mercer family.
“Bannon and others who ‘know too much’ can be dangerous to a president with a few too many secrets,” Jacobus writes. “Trump would be wise to heed this advice: Never put anyone in a position where they’ve got nothing left to lose.”
Featured image via Gage Skidmore/Flickr
