It looks like Bannon’s time is up. The conservative hero and former head of Breitbart.com has been shown the door.
We reported earlier this week that the White House Chief Strategist may soon be on his way out of the Trump Administration. The timeline we gave was simple: by Friday this week.
It looks like that rumor just became a reality:
President Trump has decided to remove adviser Stephen K. Bannon from the White House, the New York Times is reporting.
In recent weeks, the president has openly mused about dismissing his controversial campaign architect.
Jonathan Swan of Axios noted this morning broke the news:
A decision is imminent from White House chief of staff John Kelly on whether Steve Bannon will keep his job, according to administration officials with knowledge of the situation:
- Bannon, who has run afoul of Trump in the past, is now suspected by the president of leaking about his West Wing colleagues. And Trump resents the publicity Bannon has been getting as mastermind of the campaign.
- Many West Wing officials are now asking “when,” not “if,” Bannon goes.
- Chief of Staff General John Kelly has been reviewing Bannon’s position.
- A recent deluge of media coverage of Bannon — including Bannon’s explosive conversation with the American Prospect — have not escaped either the president’s or Kelly’s attention.
One White House source twists the knife: “His departure may seem turbulent in the media, but inside it will be very smooth. He has no projects or responsibilities to hand off.”
This is not an unexpected turn of events. Just this week, Bannon gave an unsanctioned interview to a liberal publication, trashing his White House colleagues.
Bannon has been accused by former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci of leaking information to the press. And now that Attorney General Jeff Sessions is cracking down hard on leaks, Bannon may be in the crossfire.
Bannon is fired. Considering his role in developing Trump’s conservative, populist brand, this firing is perhaps the biggest shakeup yet in the Trump White House.
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