WASHINGTON — Steve Bannon, President Donald Trump's former top adviser, will testify before the House Intelligence Committee next week, two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News on Thursday night.
Bannon, who is scheduled to testify in closed session next Tuesday, has hired Washington lawyer Bill Burck to represent him before the committee.
Burck is representing Bannon only in his House testimony and not in connection with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, a source close to Bannon said. Burck already represents White House Counsel Don McGahn and former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus in the Mueller inquiry.
Bannon, who left his post at the White House in August, confirmed this week that he is leaving his post at the conservative website Breitbart News. His departure came as he was the center of controversy over derogatory comments he was quoted as having made about the president and his family in Michael Wolff's book "Fire and Fury: Inside Donald Trump's White House."
Under strong criticism from Trump and former White House allies, Bannon backtracked from the comments this week, calling his support for the president "unwavering" and declaring: "I remain ready to stand in the breech for this president's efforts to make America great again."
