David Bossie, a former campaign adviser for President Donald Trump, downplayed suggestions that Steve Bannon had soured on Trump or would begin using his perch at Breitbart to snipe at the president from the outside. | Getty Trump ally blasts congressional leaders

A top ally of President Donald Trump offered hints Sunday of a coming war on Republican leaders in Congress, a battle presaged by the return of former chief strategist Steve Bannon to Breitbart News.

“There’s a lack of leadership on one side of Pennsylvania Avenue,” said David Bossie, a former Trump campaign adviser, appearing on “Fox News Sunday.”


Bossie, who said he’s spoken to Bannon “many times” in recent days, said Bannon’s departure from the administration will help the administration at “leaning into Congress.” He repeatedly decried a “failure of leadership in the House and Senate.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan "have to step up,” Bossie said, adding, “The House and Senate leadership has not bought into the president’s agenda fully.”

Bossie downplayed suggestions that Bannon had soured on Trump or would begin using his perch at Breitbart to snipe at Trump from the outside.

“I don’t believe for a minute that Steve Bannon has gone against the president,” Bossie said. He said Bannon’s suggestion in a Weekly Standard interview Friday that the Trump presidency — as he knew it — was over, was more of a reference to Congress’ failures than the president’s.

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“I specifically believe that he means that Congress has failed,” Bossie said.

Bossie added that Bannon’s exit was more about giving Trump’s new chief of staff, John Kelly, a clean slate to build his own team.

Bannon, Bossie said, was a victim of battling factions inside the White House, which he said was a feature of “every presidency.”

“There’s no difference here,” Bossie said.

