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For Immediate Release
PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD J. TRUMP ANNOUNCES SENIOR WHITE HOUSE LEADERSHIP TEAM
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Bannon and Priebus will continue the effective leadership team they formed during the campaign, working as equal partners to transform the federal government, making it much more efficient, effective and productive. Bannon and Priebus will also work together with Vice President-elect Mike Pence to help lead the transition process in the run-up to Inauguration Day.
“I am thrilled to have my very successful team continue with me in leading our country,” said President-elect Trump. “Steve and Reince are highly qualified leaders who worked well together on our campaign and led us to a historic victory. Now I will have them both with me in the White House as we work to make America great again.”
“I want to thank President-elect Trump for the opportunity to work with Reince in driving the agenda of the Trump Administration,” noted Bannon. “We had a very successful partnership on the campaign, one that led to victory. We will have that same partnership in working to help President-elect Trump achieve his agenda.”
“It is truly an honor to join President-elect Trump in the White House as his Chief of Staff,” added Priebus. “I am very grateful to the President-elect for this opportunity to serve him and this nation as we work to create an economy that works for everyone, secure our borders, repeal and replace Obamacare and destroy radical Islamic terrorism. He will be a great President for all Americans.”
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Ed. note: Trump's selection of Bannon was very controversial. Statements from a number of groups on the announcements are below:
Anti-Defamation League
ADL Statement on President-Elect Trump's Appointment of Reince Priebus and Steve Bannon
New York, NY, November 13, 2016 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today commended President-Elect Trump for appointing Reince Preibus as White House Chief of Staff.Priebus has had a long career in politics and public life, and ADL wishes him well in his new role.
At the same time, ADL strongly opposes the appointment of Steve Bannon as senior advisor and chief strategist in the White House.
"It is a sad day when a man who presided over the premier website of the Alt Right, a loose-knit group of white nationalists and unabashed anti-Semites and racists - is slated to be a senior staff member in the 'people's house,' said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO. "We call on President-elect Trump to appoint and nominate Americans committed to the well-being of all our country's people and who exemplify the values of pluralism and tolerance that makes our country great."
The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.
Zionist Organization of America
November 14, 2016
ZOA Criticizes ADL for Falsely Alleging Trump Advisor Bannon is Anti-Semitic
Would Pro-Israel Stalwarts/Trump advisors Gingrich, Giuliani, Pence, Huckabee, Kushner, Friedman, Greenblatt, Adelson Allow an Anti-Semite on Board?
Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) President Morton A. Klein released the following statement:
It is painful to see Anti-Defamation League (ADL) president Jonathan Greenblatt engaging in character assassination against President-elect Trump’s appointee Stephen Bannon and Mr. Bannon’s company, Breitbart media. ADL/Greenblatt essentially accused Mr. Bannon and his media company of “anti-Semitism” and Israel hatred, when Jonathan Greenblatt/ADL tweeted that Bannon “presided over the premier website of the ‘alt right’ – a loose-knit group of white nationalists and anti-Semites.”
In fact, as pro-Israel writer (and orthodox Jew) Joel B. Pollak wrote, Mr. Bannon is “an American patriot who defends Israel & has deep empathy for the Jewish people.”
ZOA’s own experience and analysis of Breitbart articles confirms Mr. Bannon’s and Breitbart’s friendship and fair-mindedness towards Israel and the Jewish people. To accuse Mr. Bannon and Breitbart of anti-Semitism is Orwellian. In fact, Breitbart bravely fights against anti-Semitism. Here are a few of the many examples:
Stephen Bannon joined ZOA in fighting the anti-Semitic rallies at CUNY by requiring his Breitbart reporters to call CUNY officials and Gov. Cuomo aides urging them to do something about it.
Breitbart courageously publishes articles reporting that the Palestinian Authority defames Israel with blatant falsehoods. On November 13, 2016, Breitbart reported that:
“The Palestinian Authority’s official TV network has been airing a video several times a day baselessly accusing Israel of poisoning former PA President Yasser Arafat and further claiming that Israel is targeting current President Mahmoud Abbas next. Arafat died at the age of 75 on November 11, 2004, just outside of Paris. A French forensic team examined his remains and concluded that there were no traces of poison in his body. Nevertheless, every year around the anniversary of his death, the PA disseminates the libel that Israel murdered him.” (Emphasis in original.)
On November 14, 2016 Breitbart reported the human cost and pain to a Jewish student at the New School of finding a swastika scrawled on her dorm room door.
Breitbart bravely publicizes Iran’s violations of the Iran deal – which pose an existential threat to Israel. On November 13, 2016, Breitbart reported that “Despite a finding published by the UN’s atomic energy agency this week that Iran has — for the second time — stockpiled more heavy water than permitted under the terms of the nuclear agreement it reached with six world powers last year, the US State Department is declining to acknowledge this as a violation of the deal.”
Breitbart also sympathetically reports on the scourge of anti-Semitic anti-Israel boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS). On November 2, 2016, Breitbart reported that: “Reports of anti-Semitic incidents on US college campuses have increased, much of it attributed to the rise of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, a new report has found.”
ZOA President Morton Klein stated: “The ZOA welcomes the appointment of Stephen Bannon as chief strategist to the incoming Trump/Pence administration. We wish Mr. Bannon every success in his new position. We urge Jonathan Greenblatt/ADL to withdraw and apologize for their inappropriate character assassination of Mr. Bannon and Breitbart Media.”
Would Trump’s extraordinary pro-Israel advisors such as Newt Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Pence, Mike Huckabee, Sheldon Adelson, and Orthodox Jews Jared Kushner, David Friedman, and Jason Greenblatt ever allow an anti-Semite/Israel-hater to work with them? Would Trump’s Orthodox Jewish daughter Ivanka, whose children go to an Orthodox day school, ever allow an anti-Semite to work with her father? And, remember Donald Trump’s platform on Israel was the strongest pro-Israel platform ever. I’m also forced to ask – why didn’t ADL and other Bannon bashers complain that Hilary’s advisers included some very anti-Israel people starting with major donor to Hillary, the Israel-hating, George Soros? Where were ADL’s complaints then?
Democratic National Committee
November 14, 2016
Trump Taps White Nationalist for Top White House Job
“Trump’s intent to appoint white nationalist Steve Bannon as his Chief Strategist in the White House shows that Trump will not soften or moderate as President. It's clear he will base his agenda for the nation in the same divisive and bigoted views that fueled his campaign. Since Trump’s win, across the country we’ve seen a spate of hate crimes against communities of color, and Bannon’s appointment shows that in Trump’s America, we are in for four long painful years of bigoted, misogynistic and xenophobic attacks coming from the highest levels of the administration. Those who are accommodating and supporting Trump’s appointment of a white nationalist and anti-Semite to a senior White House post should think long and hard about how they will be remembered in the history books.” – DNC National Press Secretary, Mark PaustenbachBannon’s appointment is already drawing condemnation:
Huffington Post: A White Nationalist Is The New White House Chief Strategist
Steve Bannon, the Breitbart News Network executive chairman known for having white nationalist views ― and who has himself been accused of anti-Semitism ― was named chief strategist and senior counselor to President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday. Bannon, 62, was taking time off from Breitbart to serve as CEO of the Trump campaign before Sunday’s announcement giving him a senior leadership role in the incoming administration...At Breitbart, Bannon helped make the hardline populist website a go-to resource for white nationalists and the alt-right, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups.
Washington Post: Trump Draws Sharp Rebuke, Concerns Over Newly Appointed Chief White House Strategist Stephen Bannon
President-elect Donald Trump's decision to appoint Stephen Bannon as his chief strategist in the White House has drawn a sharp rebuke from political strategists who see in Bannon a controversial figure too closely associated with the “alt-right” movement, which white nationalists have embraced… The announcement has produced intense hand-wringing in Washington and sharp denunciations from political observers and strategists critical of Breitbart News's close association with the alt-right, a fringe conservative movement saturated with racially insensitive rhetoric and elements of outright white nationalism.
Time: Donald Trump Courts Fury By Bringing Stephen Bannon To The White House
President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Stephen K. Bannon, the controversial executive chairman of Brietbart News, to serve as his chief strategist and senior advisor in the White House but the appointment has already sparked a fierce reaction from anti-discrimination groups. Bannon and his website have been linked to the alt-right, an extreme sect of conservatism that’s comprised largely of white nationalists, and to many his inclusion is a nod to the extreme stances many Trump supporters touted throughout the campaign.
NBC News: Analysis: Breitbart's Steve Bannon Leads the 'Alt Right' to the White House
Steve Bannon, former president of the incendiary Breitbart News and more recently chief executive of Trump's campaign, is taking on a role as "chief strategist and senior counselor." Bannon's ascension is the clearest sign yet that Trump will maintain his ties to the populist white nationalism that helped propel him to the White House against overwhelming opposition from party leaders and traditional media… Under Bannon's guidance, Breitbart served as a hub for pro-Trump, anti-immigration and especially anti-Muslim agit-prop. The site faced regular criticism — including from Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton — for its close ties to the "alt right," an online-based counterculture movement associated with white nationalism. Bannon once called his outlet "the platform of the alt-right."
CNN: White nationalists see advocate in Steve Bannon who will hold Trump to his campaign promises
White nationalist leaders are praising Donald Trump's decision to name former Breitbart executive Steve Bannon as his chief strategist, telling CNN in interviews they view Bannon as an advocate in the White House for policies they favor. The leaders of the white nationalist and so-called "alt-right" movement — all of whom vehemently oppose multiculturalism and share the belief in the supremacy of the white race and Western civilization — publicly backed Trump during his campaign for his hardline positions on Mexican immigration, Muslims, and refugee resettlement. Trump has at times disavowed their support. Bannon's hiring, they say, is a signal that Trump will follow through on some of his more controversial policy positions.
Think Progress: Trump Names White Nationalist Figure ‘Chief Strategist to the President’
…In his role at Breitbart, he promoted and legitimized the modern white supremacist movement, sometimes euphemistically referred to as the “alt-right.”…Trump’s elevation of Bannon further legitimizes the racist ideas that are regularly promoted on Breitbart. Now, these backwards ideas not only have the imprimatur of a prominent website but also the president of the United States.
Mic: Why Donald Trump picking Stephen Bannon as Chief Strategist has people alarmed
As head of Breitbart, Bannon is credited with bolstering the alt-right movement, which was a loud undercurrent of Trump's presidential campaign. Breitbart became a haven for those on the right with fringe views and somewhat racist beliefs; the news site also helped Trump catapult to victory during the Republican primaries… In April, the Southern Poverty Law Center, a hate group watchdog organization, accused Bannon explicitly of being a driving force behind the site's appeal to white nationalists.
Salon: Steve Bannon runs an anti-Semitic website, is a misogynist, and will be one of Donald Trump’s senior advisors
Donald Trump’s chief strategist is Steve Bannon, the former CEO of both alt-right publication Breitbart and Trump’s own presidential campaign. Bannon is also a notorious anti-Semite. During Bannon’s reign over Breitbart, the website ran articles referring to conservative commentator Bill Kristol as a “renegade Jew” and Washington Post columnist Anne Applebaum as “a Polish, Jewish, American elitist scorned.” Former Breitbart writer Ben Shapiro accused them of embracing “a movement shot through with racism and anti-Semitism,” and Bannon’s ex-wife has even testified in court that Bannon has “said he doesn’t like Jews” and didn’t want his children to go to school with Jews.
Here’s a quick refresher on Bannon and his website, Breitbart News:
Bannon Was Proud To Have Created A “Populist Nationalist Movement” That Attracts Racists, Anti-Semitics And Homophobes
Mother Jones: “During our interview, Bannon took credit for fomenting ‘this populist nationalist movement’ long before Trump came on the scene. He credited Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.)—a Trump endorser and confidant who has suggested that civil rights advocacy groups were ‘un-American’ and ‘Communist-inspired’—with laying the movement’s groundwork. Bannon also pointed to his own films, which include a Sarah Palin biopic and an ‘exposé’ of the Occupy movement, as ‘very nationalistic films.’ Trump, he said, ‘is very late to this party.’”
Bannon Turned Breitbart Into An Online Haven For White Supremacy
Southern Poverty Law Center on Breitbart: “Over the past year however, the outlet has undergone a noticeable shift toward embracing ideas on the extremist fringe of the conservative right. Racist ideas. Race-baiting ideas. Anti-Muslim and anti-Immigrant ideas –– all key tenets making up an emerging racist ideology known as the ‘Alt-Right.’”
Mother Jones: “By bringing on Stephen Bannon, Trump was signaling a wholehearted embrace of the ‘alt-right,’ a once-motley assemblage of anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, ethno-nationalistic provocateurs who have coalesced behind Trump and curried the GOP nominee’s favor on social media.”
Here Are Some Breitbart Headlines Published By Bannon:
Breitbart: “The Solution To Online ‘Harassment’ Is Simple: Women Should Log Off”
Breitbart: “Gabby Giffords: The Gun Control Movement’s Human Shield”
Breitbart: “Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy.”
Breitbart: “Planned Parenthood’s Body Count Under Cecile Richards Is Up To Half A Holocaust.”
Breitbart: “Would you rather have cancer or feminism?”
Breitbart: “Why Diversity Offices Should Only Hire Straight White Men”
Breitbart: “6 Reasons Pamela Geller's Muhammad Cartoon Contest Is No Different From Selma”
Family Research Council
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 13, 2016
CONTACT: J.P. Duffy or Alice Chao
Family Research Council Applauds President-elect Trump's Selection of Reince Priebus as Chief of Staff
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Family Research Council today commended President-elect Donald Trump's choice of Reince Priebus as his chief of staff.
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins released the following statement:
"President-elect Trump made yet another wise selection by choosing Reince Priebus as his chief of staff. I have worked closely with Reince over the last 5 years as he revitalized the GOP by returning the party to its true conservative principles as is evidenced by the GOP's solidly conservative platform.
"He has made the GOP more effective through the implementation of a solid infrastructure that facilitated an outstanding ground game for Republicans. His leadership in rebuilding the party and promoting conservative principles helped set the stage for driving evangelical turnout to its highest level in recent memory.
"President-elect Trump could not have tapped a better leader as his chief of staff. I also commend the selection of Stephen Bannon, a talented strategist, who did a remarkable job running the campaign.
"Under the Trump administration, the nation has an opportunity to make freedom mean something again,"" concluded Perkins.
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Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund
November 12, 2016
MEMORANDUM TO TEA PARTY ACTIVISTS, GRASSROOTS CONSERVATIVE FRIENDS & ALLIES
Copyright © 2016 Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in
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