Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon in an interview broadcast Sunday said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellMomentum growing among Republicans for Supreme Court vote before Election Day Trump expects to nominate woman to replace Ginsburg next week Video of Lindsey Graham arguing against nominating a Supreme Court justice in an election year goes viral MORE (R-Ky.) told President Trump Donald John TrumpUS reimposes UN sanctions on Iran amid increasing tensions Jeff Flake: Republicans 'should hold the same position' on SCOTUS vacancy as 2016 Trump supporters chant 'Fill that seat' at North Carolina rally MORE to end his talk of draining the "swamp" in Washington, D.C.

During the interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” Bannon argued that the Republican establishment, including McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan Paul Davis RyanKenosha will be a good bellwether in 2020 At indoor rally, Pence says election runs through Wisconsin Juan Williams: Breaking down the debates MORE (R-Wis.), is “trying to nullify the 2016 election.”

“They do not want Donald Trump's populist, economic nationalist agenda to be implemented,” Bannon told host Charlie Rose. “It's very obvious.”

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Rose asked Bannon for an example.

“Oh, Mitch McConnell when we first met him, I mean, he was-- he was-- he-- he said, I think in one of the first meetings-- in Trump Tower with the president-- as we're wrapping up, he basically says, ‘I don't want to hear any more of this 'drain the swamp' talk,’” Bannon said, quoting McConnell.

“He says, ‘I can't-- I can't hire any smart people,’ because everybody's all over him for reporting requirements and-- and the pay, et cetera, and the scrutiny. You know, ‘You gotta back off that.’ The ‘drain the swamp’ thing was-- is Mitch McConnell was day one did not want to-- did not want to go there. Wanted us to back off.”

Rose later asked Bannon if, now that he was no longer part of the Trump administration, he were "going to war with them," referring to McConnell and Ryan.



"Absolutely," Bannon replied.

Bannon also said during the interview that the Trump administration's "original sin" was embracing the Republican establishment.

"In the 48 hours after we won, there's a fundamental decision that was made. You might call it the original sin of the administration. We embraced the establishment," Bannon said.

"I mean, we totally embraced the establishment. I think in President Trump's mind, or President-Elect Trump's mind, in-- in Jared's mind, in the family's mind, I actually agreed with the decision," he added, referencing White House senior advisor Jared Kushner.

Bannon left the Trump administration last month and has since returned to Breitbart News, which has repeatedly run coverage critical of establishment Republicans.