House Democrats on Thursday made a failed bid to subpoena former White House strategist Stephen Bannon to appear before the House Judiciary Committee, a motion that Republicans quickly batted down.
An hour into a fractious and bitterly contentious hearing with FBI counterintelligence agent Peter Strzok, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) broke in to move that the panel bring forward the former White House chief strategist.
{mosads}Bannon had previously defied a bipartisan subpoena from the House Intelligence Committee, declining to answer questions under instruction from the White House. Republicans threatened to hold him in contempt, but never followed through — they say because he did eventually appear.
Republicans swatted down Swalwell’s motion largely along party lines, although House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) voted “pass.”
The episode came amidst ongoing threats from GOP members to hold Strzok in contempt for declining to answer questions about the ongoing investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.
Strzok disputed the notion that he had appeared before the committee under subpoena, arguing that he was there voluntarily. 