White House issues official statement saying Stephen Bannon 'lost his mind' after being fired
The White House issued an official statement from the president of the United States on Wednesday blasting former chief strategist Stephen Bannon after his criticisms surfaced in excerpts from a new White House tell-all by Michael Wolff. "Steve Bannon has nothing to do with me or my presidency," Trump said of his former campaign CEO in the statement. "When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind."
In quotes published Wednesday (you can read seven of the most eye-popping here), Bannon called a meeting between Trump's campaign aides and a Russian lawyer "treasonous" and claimed Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation is "all about money laundering." Bannon has nevertheless maintained that since being fired, he is Trump's "wing man outside" the White House.
Trump added that "now that he is on his own, Steve is learning that winning isn't as easy as I make it look" and blamed his former campaign CEO for the recent loss of an Alabama Senate seat to a Democrat. Read the full statement below. Jeva Lange
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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