Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” while discussing President Donald Trump’s statement on the violence Saturday at a Charlottesville protest, former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci said President Donald Trump needed to “move away” from the “Bannon-Bart influence,” referring to Breitbart News Network and White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon.
Partial transcript as follows:
SCARAMUCCI: I think people are probably reluctant to tell him the truth. Maybe Ivanka would do that. Maybe Jared. You have this sort of Bannon-Bart influence in there that is a snag on the president. If the president wants to execute the legislative agenda that I think is so promising for the American people, the lower and middle-class people, the middle-class people then he has to move away from that sort Bannon-Bart nonsense.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You mean Bannon and Breitbart, Steve Bannon?
SCARAMUCCI: Yes. The whole thing is nonsensical. It’s not serving the president’s interests. He has got to move more to the mainstream He has to be where the moderates and independents are that love the president. If he does that, he’ll have a successful legislative agenda that he can execute. If he doesn’t do that, you’ll see inertia.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You have been tough on Steve Bannon, does he have to go?
SCARAMUCCI: I think the president knows what he’s going to do with Steve Baoonon.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Which is what?
SCARAMUCCI: Let’s leave it up to the president. I think at the end of the day; the president knows who the leakers are. The president has a very good idea of the people undermining his agenda that are serving their own interests.
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