RNA - Less than a week after President-elect Donald Trump pledged to govern for “all Americans,” Republicans and Democrats spent Monday sparring over Stephen K. Bannon, Trump’s newly appointed chief strategist and senior adviser, who has a history of using a right-wing news platform to spread divisive views.
In appointing Bannon to a top advisory post, the president-elect sparked anger in black, Jewish, and Muslim communities — many of which were already skeptical of the incoming Trump administration. He also created an opening for Democrats and Republicans to raise concerns that Trump is aligning with the “alt-right,’’ which to many critics is a rebranded form of white supremacy.
Bannon, a former Wall Street investment banker who also worked in Hollywood movie production, became executive chairman of Breitbart News in 2012, where he served until joining Trump’s campaign for the White House in August. Under Bannon’s direction, Breitbart has been intensely criticized for its conspiratorial and harshly worded posts, such as “How Muslim Migrants Devastate A Community” and “Does Feminism Make Women Ugly?”
Through a spokesman, Governor Charlie Baker, a Republican who refused to vote for Trump for president, expressed concerns about the selection of Bannon.
“The president-elect has stated that he will focus on unifying the country after a divisive campaign and the governor is concerned that this selection runs counter to that important goal,” said Brendan Moss, a Baker spokesman.
“This appointment is exactly the wrong message for Americans who were fearful that Trump will continue his hate, bigotry, and division of the campaign into the White House,” said US Representative Katherine Clark, a Democrat who represents suburbs north and west of Boston.
Clark has been a target of Breitbart’s ire. Earlier this year, an article on the site said she was “cultural authoritarianism personified” after Clark asked the Justice Department to crack down on Internet harassment.
“That is not what American values are, what we stand for as a country,” Clark said. “If that’s the message the Trump administration took from this campaign — they are wrong.”
Anti-hate watchdog organizations such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Jewish Community Relations Council, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Southern Law Poverty Center have also released statements repudiating Bannon’s appointment.
Trump, who called Bannon a “highly qualified” leader on Sunday, has yet to respond directly to criticism of the future senior adviser. Other members of Trump’s political team, including incoming chief of staff Reince Priebus and former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, defended Bannon Monday.
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