I haven’t seen any chatter in the threads but it seems as if a decision as to whther to fire White House Chief Strategist and resident racist Steve Bannon is imminent.
Axios:
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."
My only comment, I guess, is that I would think that the true nature of a job like Bannon’s is to support the President {or any chief executive, for that matter).
When you become the story, you’re doing it wrong, IMO.
Anyway, we shall see...damn this is too much like the daytime soap operas where you always know that Fridays will end wth a bang and a big-time cliffhanger.
Friday, Aug 18, 2017 · 4:56:25 PM +00:00 · Chitown Kev
Maggie Haberman at the New York Times
President Trump has told senior aides that he has decided to remove Stephen K. Bannon, the embattled White House chief strategist who helped Mr. Trump win the 2016 election, according to two administration officials briefed on the discussion.
The president and senior White House officials were debating when and how to dismiss Mr. Bannon. The two administration officials cautioned that Mr. Trump is known to be averse to confrontation within his inner circle, and could decide to keep on Mr. Bannon for some time.
As of Friday morning, the two men were still discussing Mr. Bannon’s future, the officials said. A person close to Mr. Bannon insisted the parting of ways was his idea, and that he had submitted his resignation to the president on Aug. 7, to be announced at the start of this week, but it was delayed in the wake of the racial unrest in Charlottesville, Va.
Mr. Bannon had clashed for months with other senior West Wing advisers and members of the president’s family.
Friday, Aug 18, 2017 · 5:07:38 PM +00:00 · Chitown Kev
I see quite a few thread up already as one by Mark Sumner on the FP. Will update this post as needed.
A quick note: I see that Bannon is sayng that he resigned...at some point whereas Trump seems to be saying that Bannon was removed from his position (at least according to Maggie Haberman’s reporting).
Both could be true...Trump and Kelly could have offered Bannon something else and Bannon turned it down.
The clash of YUGE egos here is a BIG part of this story. And in a battle lke this, the chief executive almost always wins. CK 12:17 PM