Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) released a statement following President-elect Trump’s decision to appoint Stephen Bannon as his chief strategist and senior counselor:
”I am deeply troubled that President-elect Trump has appointed Stephen Bannon as his chief strategist and senior counselor. Stephen Bannon has led an organization, Breitbart News, that the Southern Poverty Law Center has said, “has undergone a noticeable shift toward embracing ideas on the extremist fringe of the conservative right. Racist ideas. Anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant ideas –– all key tenets making up an emerging racist ideology known as the “Alt-Right.” Mr. Bannon once boasted that Breitbart News, “is the platform of the alt-right,” which is nothing more than a euphemism for white nationalism. The litany of Breitbart’s horrific statements is appalling: calling a prominent political commentator a ‘renegade Jew,’ insinuating that African Americans and immigrants are inherently criminal, suggesting that women who suffer harassment should stay silent and promoting the Confederate flag right after the Charleston shooting. President-elect Trump has pledged to be a President for all Americans; placing this individual in a position of such significant power undermines that claim. Stephen Bannon is someone who has demonstrated disregard for common decency and values that all Americans should share. I would urge President-elect Trump to reconsider.”
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