Steve Bannon Apologizes For Accusing Donald Trump Jr. of “Treasonous” Behaviour

President Trump’s former White House Chief Strategist, Steve Bannon, expressed regret over his comments on Donald Trump Jr.’s  alleged meetings with Russian officials during the 2016 presidential election. Bannon issued a statement on Sunday in which he called Trump’s eldest son a “patriot” and a “good man”.

Bannon apologized for not responding sooner to his comments that were published in journalist’s Michael Wolff’s bombshell book “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House”. The Breitbart executive chairman believes his delayed response to the “inaccurate reporting” has diverted attention to Trump’s accomplishments in the first year of his presidency.

A source close to Bannon said his recent statement comes after the President told his friends and allies to pick a side between the two. In addition, Bannon’s comments have also stirred conflict among Breitbart’s leadership, where Bannon currently holds the position of executive chairman, according to the source.

The highly controversial book includes several quotes from Bannon, saying that Donald Trump Jr. and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, met with a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower in New York to get damaging information on Hillary Clinton. Bannon called the meeting “treasonous” and “unpatriotic”. In addition, the former Chief Strategist also criticised the President in Wolff’s book.

Steve Bannon clarified his comments by saying that the accusations were not aimed at Trump Jr. but rather Manafort, who exhibited a lack of professionalism when he chose to meet with Russian officials.

“He should have known they are duplicitous, cunning and not our friends,” Bannon said.

After hearing of Bannon’s previous claims, Trump took to social media denouncing his former Chief Strategist and downplaying his role within the administration.

During his Sirius XM radio show, Bannon commended Trump for his presidential efforts and called him a “great man”. The President was seemingly not impressed with Bannon’s change of heart, saying the next day that he “changed his tune pretty quick”.

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