South Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Catherine Templeton praised and defended former Trump White House chief strategist Steve Bannon ahead of his invitation to speak at the annual fundraising dinner for the Citadel Republican Society.

Sam Spence at Charleston City Paper reports:

In a talk radio interview today, GOP candidate for governor Catherine Templeton dismissed criticism over news ex-Trump advisor Steve Bannon will speak at a Citadel Republican group’s annual fundraising dinner, calling the Breitbart executive “the voice of the rest of us.”

Talking to WTMA’s Charlie James this morning (direct link), Templeton was effusive about Bannon, who she met during a cabinet vetting meeting with then-president elect Donald Trump and top administration officials, including Bannon, who she called “brilliant” more than once, praising him as a “higher-level thinker.”

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Templeton laughed when James asked her about objections to Bannon, saying, “I think it’s ridiculous that they’re upset.” In quotes supplied to FitsNews.com after the interview with the conservative radio host, Templeton called it “hypocritical for liberals to scream about inclusion while only including people who agree with them.”