Jewish Federation 'strongly objects' to Bannon as White House chief strategist

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The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, quoting conciliatory words from President-elect Trump, "strongly objects" to appointment of alt-right leader Stephen Bannon to the post of chief White House strategist and presidential counselor.

"Anti-Semitism, Islamaphobia, racism, misogyny, xenophobia and homophobia have no place in the centers of public policy, not in the White House and especially not among our President's advisers," the Federation said in a statement.

The Federation can speak with credibility about hate crimes. A decade ago, a name named Afzar Haq entered its Seattle office and shot six women, one fatally. Haq had researched "something Jewish" on the Internet.

Before chairing Trump's campaign, Bannon served as CEO of the Breitbart News web site. It is known for such headlines as "Young Muslims in the West are a ticking time bomb" , "Confederate flag proclaims a glorious heritage" and "Birth control makes women unattractive and crazy."

A spring article on Breitbart proclaimed William Kristol, a leading anti-Trump conservative, a "Renegade Jew."

Bannon is a former Navy officer, a Harvard MBA, and a former Goldman Sachs trader. He took over as chairman of the Trump campaign in mid-summer.

All six of Washington's Democratic U.S. House members, and 163 of their colleagues, have signed a statement asking Trump to "reconsider" and reverse the Bannon appointment. The letter cited incidents across the country in which minority Americans have been "targets of violence, harassment and intimidation."

"As the Executive Chairman of Breitbart News, Mr. Bannon repeatedly and aggressively pushed stories that promote anti-Semitism, xenophobia, and racism," said the lawmakers' letter.

"During an interview last summer, Mr. Bannon bragged that Breitbart was 'the platform for the alt-right, a movement that upholds White Nationalism while strongly rejecting diversity in any form."

"We strongly believe that Mr. Bannon's appointment will not allow the country to heal and come together as one. As one of your top advisers, the White House chief strategist will help set the tone for your administration. The person in this role must be prepared to serve the interests of all Americans, not those of a select few."

The Jewish Federation letter, signed by 11 leaders of the group, argued that Republicans speak out as well.

"We urge local, state and national leaders on both sides of the aisle to speak up against this threat to American democracy, to uphold inclusion and respect, and to fight against bigotry and discrimination of all kinds," said the Federation's statement.