Conservative megadonor Rebekah Mercer disavowed former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon following his criticism of the Trump administration.

Pressure is building on Breitbart's backers to oust Bannon from the right-wing website.



One of Breitbart News's major financial backers distanced herself from current CEO Steve Bannon following comments he made criticizing President Donald Trump and his family.

In a statement to The Washington Post on Thursday, billionaire conservative donor and activist Rebekah Mercer distanced herself from the former White House chief strategist, whom her family has long supported financially.

"I support President Trump and the platform upon which he was elected," Mercer said. "My family and I have not communicated with Steve Bannon in many months and have provided no financial support to his political agenda, nor do we support his recent actions and statements."

Trump and his allies have brutally criticized Bannon in the days since excerpts of the upcoming book "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," in which Bannon made comments reportedly disparaging the intelligence and fortitude of Trump's children, as well as Trump's campaign and administration.

Pressure appeared to build on Thursday for Breitbart financial backers to oust the company's CEO. Both Vanity Fair and The Wall Street Journal reported that the Mercers and other top backers were considering removing Bannon.

During a press conference on Thursday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders suggested that Breitbart should consider ousting the former chief strategist.

For his part, Bannon has largely stayed mum, only briefly complimenting the president when asked during a radio interview.

"The President of the United States is a great man," Bannon said. "You know I support him day in and day out."