California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna dismissed Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan's veiled threat to Biden administration officials—amid President Joe Biden's decision to waive former President Donald Trump's claim of executive privilege in the House select committee's investigation into the events of January 6.
Biden and Trump have been locked in an escalating clash, sparked by the fallout of the Capitol riot, over the release of sensitive Trump administration documents to the committee, including communications between Trump and former White House officials. The Biden administration has refused to assert executive privilege regarding documents and witness testimony in connection with the riot.
Jordan, a close congressional ally of Trump, suggested Friday that Republicans will force Biden officials to testify if Republicans take the House in 2022.
"Joe Biden has evicerated [sic] Executive Privilege. There are a lot of Republicans eager to hear testimony from [White House Chief of Staff] Ron Klain and [National Security Advisor] Jake Sullivan when we take back the House," he tweeted.
Former Trump senior aide Steve Bannon was indicted by a federal grand jury on Friday on contempt of Congress charges over his refusal to comply with a subpoena issued by the committee in October seeking testimony and records, invoking Trump's claims of executive privilege. Trump has instructed his former aides and officials to cite the protection of executive privilege in their refusal to comply with the probe.
"They probably don't understand executive privilege," Khanna said Friday on CNN Live.
"First of all, Steve Bannon wasn't working in the White House or for the president at the time. Second, executive privilege applies to sensitive communication and advice to the president. This is not that situation. This has nothing to do with national security," the California Democrat added. "So I hope that none of the Republicans abuse executive privilege. This is about having a private citizen answer for their role on January 6, something all other Americans would have to do."
Bannon's indictment came after the House sent their recommendation to hold him in criminal contempt to the Justice Department last month after approving the move in a vote last month.
The decision marked Democrats' most aggressive move yet to fight the former president's attempt to stymie the probe, signaling their determination to avoid the long standoffs that occurred under the Trump administration over congressional subpoenas. Legal fights over the flouting of subpoenas delayed several attempts to examine the White House and federal agencies during Trump's presidency.
The panel has also requested a trove of documents from several federal agencies, including the National Archives, which holds the White House records of the Trump administration.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Thursday granted Trump's emergency motion for an injunction to prevent the release of the documents, which he asserts to be confidential and privileged.
Legal experts say that the sitting president will likely have the final word on whether the documents are covered by executive privilege and that Trump's lawsuits could work to delay their release.
Newsweek reached out to Jordan's office for comment.
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