Trump campaign CEO scrutinized over alleged anti- Semitic remarks
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is facing questions about his campaign’s vetting process and hiring decisions following a slew of bad publicity about his newly installed campaign chief Stephen Bannon, including allegations that Bannon made anti- Semitic remarks.
In court filings related to their divorce agreement, Bannon’s former wife, Mary Louise Piccard, said he objected to their daughters attending a Los Angeles prep school because of the large number of Jewish students there, the Associated Press and other outlets reported. Bannon’s spokeswoman has denied that claim.
Bannon also has faced scrutiny in recent days over his voter registration and his former wife’s claim that he attacked her dur- ing an argument in 1996. Bannon was charged with three misdemeanors, which later were dismissed when his wife didn’t show up at trial.
The revelations come as Trump seeks to soften his rhetoric and broaden his appeal to women and minority voters. The tough headlines also follow staff upheavals at the top levels of Trump’s campaign.
Bannon only recently became the CEO of the campaign, taking a leave from the helm of the conservative website Breitbart News. Days after Bannon joined the Trump operation, campaign chairman Paul Manafort was ousted, amid a string of media reports about Manafort’s business dealings with pro- Russian interests in Ukraine.
Trump aides did not respond to an email Saturday.
Bannon’s personal spokeswoman, Alexandra Preate, told NBC and other outlets that Bannon never made those remarks about his daughters’ West Los Angeles School and that he “proudly sent the girls to Archer for their middle and high school educations.”