Bannon sorry over book
Declares ‘unwavering’ support for Trump, praises Donald Jr as ‘patriot’
FORMER White House top strategist Steve Bannon appeared to try to bury the sword in his ongoing feud with Donald Trump that erupted over recent comments he made in an explosive new book about Trump’s White House, saying his support for the president is “unwavering”.
Mr Bannon also expressed “regret” for calling the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr, “unpatriotic” for meeting a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin at a meeting at Trump Tower in June 2016, blistering remarks Michael Wolff included in the bombshell book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.
“Donald Trump, Jr is both a patriot and a good man. He has been relentless in his advocacy for his father and the agenda that has helped turn our country around,” Mr Bannon said in a statement.
“My support is also unwavering for the President and his agenda as I have shown daily in my national radio broadcasts, on the pages of Breitbart News and in speeches and appearances from Tokyo and Hong Kong to Arizona and Alabama,” he added.
Mr Trump blasted the book as “full of lies,” the author as a “total loser” and his former campaign chairman as “Sloppy Steve” when excerpts began to surface last week.
“When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind,” Mr Trump said.
In Fire and Fury Mr Bannon faulted Donald Jr, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Mr Trump’s adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner for taking the meeting with the Russians during the presidential campaign and not reporting it to the FBI.
“Even if you thought that this was not treasonous, or unpatriotic, or bad s---, and I happen to think it’s all of that, you should have called the FBI immediately,” the book quoted Mr Bannon as saying.
In his statement, Mr Bannon said his ire was directed at Mr Manafort.
“My comments were aimed at Paul Manafort, a seasoned campaign professional with experience and knowledge of how the Russians operate,” Mr Bannon said.
The book has caused a sensation in the US since it was released last week, with its publisher scrambling to get new copies printed.
It comes as Mr Trump’s chief policy adviser, Stephen Miller, described the book on CNN as “nothing but a pile of trash through and through”.