Steve Bannon's controversial history



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President-elect Donald Trump's hiring of Breitbart executive editor Steve Bannon as his top White House advisor was not met kindly across the aisle.

While it's certainly not unusual for members of one party to not approve of a rivaling party's presidential cabinet selections, it is strange for such a pick to be followed by so much controversy. Bannon, unlike others in his position, has been repeatedly and widely accused of racist, sexist, and homophobic statements and acts.

Trump spokesperson Kellyanne Conway insists that despite such claims, Bannon is not connected to a white nationalist viewpoint, saying, "I'm personally offended that you think I would manage a campaign where that would be one of the going philosophies."

On paper, Bannon does have an impressive resume. He graduated from Harvard Business School, was an officer in the U.S. Navy, and then worked for Goldman Sachs. Before becoming an editor at Breitbart, he also produced several conservative-leaning films. Explaining his pick, Trump describes him as "highly qualified."

Nevertheless, controversy follows him. See the above gallery for some background on these claims.



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