by WorldTribune Staff, August 20, 2017
American voters made themselves heard last November, but since then Trump supporters have been subjected to non-stop invective and push-back from Washington’s “ruling class” and the Left in the dominant media culture.
As pro-Trump conservatives debated over the weekend the meaning of Steve Bannon’s departure Friday from the White House, some began to see opportunities for well-timed and much-needed push-back from the right.
Axios reported that Bannon visited New York last week for a five-hour meeting with top GOP donor Bob Mercer as he “prepares for war” against Washington’s bi-partisan establishment, aka “The Swamp”. The meeting focused on a “well-funded force on the outside.”
Related: All shook up: Conservative revolutionary out as Trump, markets feel swamp’s fury, August 18, 2017
The Mercer Family Foundation is reportedly a key financial factor behind Breitbart.com and the victorious Trump campaign. Most conservative foundations limit their financial support to political candidates and avoid supporting media operations.
Some close to Bannon said that the ex-White House chief strategist “felt liberated since it became clear he was being pushed out” and would likely return to Breitbart News, where he was once executive chairman, to operate what he reportedly calls a “killing machine.”
President Donald Trump tweeted: “Steve Bannon will be a tough and smart new voice at @BreitbartNews … maybe even better than ever before. Fake News needs the competition!”
Washington sources told WorldTribune Bannon was forced out after National Security advisor H.R. McMaster and Chief of Staff John Kelly “tag teamed” the president. The Daily Mail reported that Ivanka Trump was the decisive factor because his “far right views” clashed with her Jewish faith.
News reports suggested Friday said Bannon tendered his resignation on Aug. 7, but the sources said he was fighting for his job up until his departure was negotiated late last week.
“My guess is he’ll (Bannon) probably be more effective goading the president from outside, especially if the president feels boxed in by John Kelly’s clean lines of authority and (national security adviser H.R.) McMaster’s orderly processes,” said Kori Schake, a research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution who previously served in the White House.
“Seems to me that Bannon was symptom not cause: The president seems to share his dark vision, revel in the support of people Bannon represents,” Schake added.
Some legal analysts, meanwhile, say Bannon’s security clearance could pose a problem as he returns to Breitbart.
“People with Top Secret clearances are bound by a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) for life,” said Bradley Moss, a partner at the Law Office of Mark Zaid specializing in national security and security clearance law.
“Any time Breitbart now prints classified information, they might now be required to clear it with the government. If Breitbart suddenly gets a few scoops, it will be interesting to see how the Department of Justice will reply,” said Moss.
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