Joint Statement from Reps. Wasserman Schultz and Frankel on Steve Bannon

Washington, DC – U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23) and Lois Frankel (FL-22) issued the following joint statement today:

“President-Elect Donald Trump’s appointment of Steve Bannon as White House Senior Counselor is an incendiary decision that shows the President-Elect is not committed to healing our nation after a hard-fought and divisive election. Bannon is a leader of the “Alt-Right” Movement, a breeding ground for anti-Semitism, white nationalism, and bigotry, and his association with this movement should disqualify him to serve in the White House in any capacity. We do not simply disagree with Bannon’s legislative or political agenda and philosophy; we have grave misgivings about his professional career history, in which he provided a megaphone for intolerance and hatred of the diversity that makes our nation truly great. Bannon’s allies include the American Nazi Party, former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, and a variety of other white nationalist groups. As Jewish-American leaders and policy-makers, we cannot stand silently by while Steve Bannon assumes a senior position at the highest level of our government. We call on President-Elect Trump, in the interest of all Americans, to withdraw his choice because rewarding anti-Semitism, bigotry and misogyny with such a position of power and influence is tantamount to embracing it.”