So Steve Bannon came before the House Intelligence Committee for the first time since he refused to answer any questions the first time, and… he presented the committee with a list of 25 questions he would answer, but only if they were asked verbatim exactly as written. The answer to all of these pre-approved questions was a simple one-word answer: No. He refused to answer any other questions, including follow-ups on the 25, or variations on the 25 with slightly different wording. (i.e. if the answer to “did you meet with X” was No, the answer to “did you talk with X” was invoking Executive Privilege). And of course, as before, the claim of Executive Privilege was invoked for events for which there was no Executive Privilege to invoke.

Usually I admire chutzpah, but I don’t really think it qualifies as chutzpah when you know the committee chair has your back.