BANNON BACKS AWAY FROM REMARKS, LAUDS TRUMP JR.

Wa shing t on: For mer Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon on Monday sought to back away from incendiary remarks quoted in an explosive new book that have landed him in hot water with the president he helped elect.

Mr Bannon has found himself in dire straits since excerpts of Paul

Mr Wolff ’ s Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House was first published on Wednesday.

In a statement to the Axios news website, Mr Bannon, who was a senior Trump adviser until he was ousted in August, said, “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.” 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.

Steve Bannon

—

Donald Trump’s former adviser

His criticism, Mr Bannon said, was aimed at onetime Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who “should have known ( the Russians) are duplicitous. really smart” and, indeed, a “very stable genius.”

He pressed the case again on Sunday as he prepared to depart Camp David, where he met with Republican congressional leaders, top aides and Cabinet members.