Bannon calls Dems’ strategy on impeachment ‘brilliant’
WASHINGTON – Steve Bannon, the former White House chief strategist and Trump’s 2016 campaign CEO, said in an interview with CBS News that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s handling of the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump is “actually quite brilliant.”
“I disagree with her ideologically, but I think Nancy Pelosi is a master at political warfare. I think, strategically, what she has done from their perspective is actually quite brilliant,” he said in the interview.
Bannon elaborated to CBS that Republicans “are not as united on messaging as the Democrats” regarding impeachment, saying a “sense of urgency” among Trump’s allies “is not there today.”
Though Bannon had a falling-out with Trump, he has continually defended the president, even starting a podcast “War Room: Impeachment” aimed at helping the GOP with messaging during the hearings and investigation. His podcast co-hosts include Jason Miller, the former communication director of Trump’s campaign in 2016, and Raheem Kassam, a former editor at Breitbart, where Bannon was executive chairman.
Trump has dismissed the need to hire a response team on impeachment.
Bannon said Trump isn’t focused on the matter because “he’s got a day job.”
The public phase of the inquiry began Wednesday with testimonies before the House Intelligence Committee from Bill Taylor, the top American diplomat in Ukraine, and George Kent, a top State Department official.
The impeachment inquiry is built upon Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 25, when he urged the investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden while withholding nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine. House Democrats contend the move and efforts to conceal it are potentially impeachable offenses.
Trump and Republicans saidthere was no quid pro quo and the call was “perfect.”