Story highlights It is unusual for a former White House official like Bannon to trash a fellow top aide

But many people inside the West Wing feared it would happen

Washington (CNN) The war that erupted between the White House and Steve Bannon Wednesday is one many people inside the West Wing feared would happen after the former chief strategist was pushed out of the administration several months ago.

While it is unusual for a former White House official like Bannon to trash a fellow top aide on the record -- in this case, Jared Kushner, the President's son-in-law -- the comments are a continuation of a long-running feud between the two men.

After Bannon spent the last several weeks lobbing criticism at President Donald Trump's inner circle and questioning the way the White House operates, tensions boiled over Wednesday after Bannon was quoted calling a meeting between Kushner, Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer "treasonous" and "unpatriotic" in excerpts from Michael Wolff's forthcoming book "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House."

Trump unleashed on Bannon in an lengthy statement where he dismissed Bannon's political influence and questioned his mental stability, and although the President is known for maintaining contact with people he has fired, he spent Wednesday privately telling people he was done with Bannon.

After Bannon left the administration in August and returned to his perch at Breitbart News, the question was whether he would remain an ally of the President's or become a thorn in the administration's side.

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