Former Trump Campaign Manager Bill Stepien to Appear Before Jan. 6 Committee Monday in Surprise Move

Saul Loeb, AFP via Getty Images.

In a surprise move, former Donald Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien will appear before the House Jan. 6 committee on Monday.

The committee announced that Stepien will join Chris Stirewalt — the former Fox News political editor who currently holds the same position for NewsNation — as witnesses in the first of two panels on Monday. The second session will include famed conservative anti-Trump election attorney Ben Ginsburg, former Republican Philadelphia election official Al Schmidt, and former U.S. attorney in Georgia BJay Pak.

Jonathan Swan of Axios reports that Stepien isn’t necessarily coming in of his own volition.

“He got subpoenaed – not sure he is a ‘friendly’ witness,” Swan reported a source close to Stepien saying.

Maggie Haberman of The New York Times also points out that Stepien is currently working on the campaign of Wyoming Republican House candidate Harriet Hageman — arguably the 2022 candidate Trump wants to succeed more than any other, given that she is facing Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY). So it doesn’t seem as though Stepien is prepared to burn his bridges.

Still, Stepien is thought to have insight on the former president’s thinking on election night 2020. Indeed, November 3, 2020 appears to be the focus of the early session on Monday, as Stirewalt figures to detail how Fox’s decision desk called Arizona for President Joe Biden amid intense objections from numerous Trump allies.