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Question: The attempts to curtail testimony to congressional investigators became clear this week when  former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon  appeared before the House Intelligence Committee and infuriated both sides of the aisle by refusing to answer questions about  his  work during the presidential transition and in the White House.
At some points during  Bannon 's six hours of closed-door testimony   his  attorney took breaks to confer via telephone with the White House counsel's office to clarify what questions could be answered and came back with the same guidance:  Bannon  could not discuss any activities related to the transition or  his  tenure in the White House.
 Bannon 's team negotiated ground rules with the White House counsel's office the week prior to his appearance before the House Intelligence Committee  according to a source familiar with the situation.
The President's personal legal team was aware of discussions between the White House counsel's office and  Bannon 's lawyer about protecting a possible privilege claim. But it wasn't their decision  according to a person familiar with the discussions. The protection of the privilege is a matter for the White House  not the President's legal team  because it relates to the office.
Before the hearing   Bannon 's lawyer informed a staff member of Rep. Devin Nunes  the California Republican who chairs the House Intelligence Committee  that  Bannon  planned to claim executive privilege on topics beyond the presidential campaign  a source said.
But that information was apparently tightly held. "It caught me personally by surprise" that  Bannon  asserted executive privilege  said Rep. Mike Conaway  the Texas Republican leading the committee's Russia investigation.
South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy and Florida Rep. Tom Rooney  the other two Republicans leading the Russia probe along with Conaway  also said they weren't aware of any agreement between the White House and committee staff about the scope of  Bannon 's testimony.
"They wouldn't do that because I'd ask what I think is relevant to ask  and if you've got a legal privilege you can assert it " Gowdy said  adding that  Bannon  was in a "legally indefensible position."
As it became clear on Tuesday that  Bannon  was refusing to answer questions  the committee served  him  with a subpoena to compel  him  to divulge additional information.
But the scope of what  Bannon  was claiming was privileged shocked members from both parties.
" His  version of executive privilege is it covers the transition  the time  he  was at the White House and covers time forever " Gowdy told Fox News Wednesday. "That is no one's definition of executive privilege."
Lawmakers were also offended that  Bannon  had already divulged details about some of  his  post-campaign activities in Michael Wolff's explosive book "Fire and Fury " but then refused to discuss those events with the committee.  Bannon 's attorney also informed members that he would  in fact  answer those questions when he meets with special counsel Robert Mueller's team because executive privilege doesn't apply to Mueller's investigation.
Democrats charge that  Bannon 's appearance before the House committee marks the broadest attempt so far at using privilege to shield events that occurred from the moment Trump was elected.
Republicans haven't ruled out the possibility of holding  Bannon  in contempt  but at least one GOP member -- Gowdy -- suggested it was unlikely.
House Speaker Paul Ryan downplayed the issue of whether witnesses like  Bannon  might be abusing the bounds of executive privilege.
Still   Bannon 's stonewalling sparked a sharp warning from Conaway -- the Republican leading the House Russia probe -- to White House aides who might follow the Bannon model: "We're going to insist on getting questions we need to answer our report."

Answer: Steve Bannon 's Hill appearance reveals White House effort to restrict testimony


Question: Donna Brazile . (Joe Raedle/Associated Press)
On Thursday  former Democratic National Committee interim chair  Donna Brazile  made a surprising revelation: An August 2015 agreement gave Hillary Clintonâs campaign partial control of the DNC months prior to Clinton winning the nomination. The âagreement was not illegal â  Brazile  writes  âbut it sure looked unethical.â The news reignited a debate among politicos and activists over whether the DNC influenced the Democratic primary. Whether the primary was âriggedâ or just business as usual though  Brazileâs allegations are only the latest evidence of the Democratic Partyâs troubles  and why the party establishment is ill-equipped to solve them.
Start with something that  Brazile âs article doesnât touch on: the electoral record. At the federal level  Republicans control the White House and both houses of Congress. The GOP House majority is at its largest in 70 years. Though two-thirds of the Senate seats contested in 2016 were held by Republicans  Democrats only gained two seats  losing races against very vulnerable GOP incumbents. At the state level  Republicans are at their strongest since the 1930s. Republicans control both the state legislatures and governorships in 24 states  compared with Democratsâ five. The GOPâs ruthless exploitation of gerrymandering â aided by its control of so many states â has helped increase GOP control  but much blame still lies with Democratic leaders.
Here is what you need to know about the political storm sparked by  Donna Brazile 's allegations against the Clinton campaign. (Amber Ferguson Melissa Macaya/The Washington Post)
Then thereâs the financial mismanagement. Money troubles for the DNC are hardly unprecedented  but the struggles appear to have worsened considerably in the past few years.  Brazile  says that the partyâs monthly expenditures had doubled in the previous five years  in large part because of former DNC chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and President Barack Obama keeping expensive consultants on the payroll. (Given Democratsâ electoral failures  what these consultants were doing is anyoneâs guess.) Of course  itâs in  Brazile âs interest to blame things on  her  predecessor. But a former senior party official independently confirmed the troubles to the Interceptâs Ryan Grim  adding that the DNC was unable to make payroll in August 2015 and was âapproaching the equivalent of bankruptcy.â

Answer: The Democratic Party needs to get its act together


Question: Officer Tyler Beck shot and killed Scout Schultz  a computer engineering student  after police at the Atlanta school received a 911 call about a “suspicious person on campus.” The caller described the suspect as an intoxicated white male with long blonde hair and blue jeans who was wielding a knife — and possibly a gun.
In an interview  Stewart said  Beck  “had only been on the force a little over a year ” and had no law enforcement experience before that.  He  said  Beck  had not received well-regarded Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training to deal with suicidal or mentally fragile suspects.
“It would seem that you would make sure at least campus police officers have all of the mental health training possible  (training) that’s easily available ”  he  said.
Actually  he said  one of  Beck ’s colleagues “did a good job of talking with Scout ” and the other cops were likely surprised that  Beck  discharged  his  weapon.
Georgia Tech has said  Beck  is on paid leave pending the outcome of an investigation into the shooting. In response to a query about  Beck 's training  the school referred USA TODAY to a series of statements on the shooting that did not specifically address training.
Ryan Powell  spokesman for the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council  which coordinates police training statewide  said  Beck  graduated last year from a basic law enforcement course mandated for all Georgia police officers.
But  Beck  didn’t take part in the more extensive  40-hour CIT course that since 2004 has trained nearly 11 000 law enforcement officers statewide. The course is recommended for 20% of all officers throughout Georgia.
He said video of the shooting suggested that the training benefited  Beck ’s colleagues  who calmed Schultz down during the confrontation and used the student’s first name. “Those officers were saying exactly what the CIT trainers are trained to say ” Powell said. “They were saying things like  ‘Hey  Scout  we aren’t here to hurt you — please put down the weapon.’”
He couldn’t be sure that  Beck ’s colleagues were trained in CIT  but said a CIT official who had seen video of the confrontation told him  “Those guys were saying exactly what we train them to say.”
Powell hesitated to second-guess  Beck ’s actions  noting that the standard for using deadly force amounts to this: If an officer is in fear of great bodily harm or death — to himself or others — he’s justified in shooting.

Answer:
Cop in Ga. Tech student shooting didn't get crisis training