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Bannon Accuses Breitbart Of Peddling Fake News

By Washington Examiner

Stephen K. Bannon, chief strategist and senior counselor to President Donald Trump, is accusing Breitbart News Network of printing a false story about an alleged rift between him and chief of staff Reince Priebus.

According to CNN, Bannon is “livid” at the news site he used to run before taking on the role of executive chairman of the Trump campaign in August.

“Not upset – livid,” is how Bannon described his feelings about the article to CNN. “The story is totally untrue. Reince is doing a great job. I couldn’t ask any more from a partner.”

The story in question, written by Breitbart’s Washington political editor Matthew Boyle, alleged divisions in the White House over the rollout of Trump’s executive order on immigration and refugee policy as well as the events leading to the resignation of Gen. Michael Flynn from his post as National Security Advisor:

Specifically, multiple sources close to President Trump with internal knowledge of White House operations told Breitbart News on Monday night that the buck stops with Priebus when it comes to the botched rollout of the executive order temporarily banning most travel to the United States from seven nations with a history of exporting terrorism and temporarily halting the refugee program. This news comes of course in the wake of the news that Flynn was pushed out, but also as more and more reports of a likely shake-up at the top loom.

Bannon and Priebus made a joint phone call to The Hill to quell rumors that Priebus’s role at the White House is in jeopardy:

Trump aides are particularly angry with a story published Tuesday by the conservative outlet Bannon once ran, Breitbart News, in which anonymous sources blamed Priebus for tumult at the White House and suggested that the chief of staff’s job was in immediate jeopardy. But Bannon and Priebus insisted that they’re working closely and amicably together and that reports to the contrary are false. “Reince is doing an amazing job,” Bannon told The Hill. “We are executing on President Trump’s agenda in record time. That’s because Reince is getting the job done.” “It is a privilege to come to work on behalf of President Trump to serve the American people,” added Priebus. “We are a completely united team dedicated to enacting his bold agenda to bring back jobs and keep this country safe.”

Strangely, Boyle’s story never makes specific mention of Bannon himself, but does cite “multiple sources close to” Trump when portraying the alleged tensions between factions in the administration. It’s curious that Bannon and Priebus felt it necessary to push back on the story to The Hill given Bannon’s name doesn’t even appear in Boyle’s write-up.

In the long run, Bannon (who says he has completely cut ties with Breitbart since he took on his role advising Trump) attacking the reporting of his former protege, Boyle, could work in Brietbart‘s favor. Over the course of the campaign and transition, Breitbart had been characterized as a propaganda arm for Trump and his agenda.The media company’s own former chief executive publicly accusing it of printing “fake news” gives Breitbart the opportunity to proclaim its independence from the White House with a public war of words with Bannon as evidence.

Unless, we are to believe the Machiavellian portraits painted about Bannon as a duplicitous master manipulator who planted the story with Boyle himself and is now denying the veracity of it so as to undermine Priebus and stay above the fray as the conciliatory peacemaker. But that scenario is just too cynical and devious to believe. Isn’t it?

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