Bannon believes firing Comey was the biggest mistake in political history

Bannon believes firing Comey was the biggest mistake in political history

DONALD Trump’s biggest political mistake was firing FBI Director James Comey.

At least that’s what former chief strategist Steve Bannon implied in his first TV interview since leaving the Oval Office.

In a revealing interview with 60 Minutes Sunday, Bannon told CBS News anchor Charlie Rose, the firing may have been the biggest mistake in “modern political history”.

Mr Comey was sensationally sacked by Mr Trump in May amid allegations the president badgered him over the highly sensitive investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election.

Mr Trump’s move fuelled allegations of a cover-up of his campaign’s ties to Russia and spurred the appointment of a special prosecutor and the empanelling of a grand jury.

Rose asked about a comment he heard from someone who revealed Bannon described the firing of Mr Comey as the biggest mistake in political history.

“That’s probably too bombastic even for me, but maybe modern political history,” Bannon replied.

Rose then asked if the firing of James Comey was the biggest mistake in modern political history.

Bannon didn’t say it was, however his response implied that’s what he meant.

“If you’re saying that’s associated with me, then I’ll leave it at that,” he said.

The man who considers himself Mr Trump’s staunchest ally revealed his anger with Republicans in Congress, the media, and how he will defend the President no matter what.

He also talked about the risk of civil war erupting among Republicans over ending the DACA program.

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, introduced by Obama in 2012, protected around 800,000 illegal immigrants brought into the US as children.

“I’m worried about losing the House now because of this,” he said.

“If this goes all the way down to its logical conclusion, in February and March it will be a civil war inside the Republican Party.

“And to me, doing that in the springboard of primary season for 2018 is extremely unwise.”

When quizzed on what should happen to the immigrants known as the dreamers, Bannon said they should self-deport.

“There’s no path to citizenship, no path to a green card and — no amnesty. Amnesty is non-negotiable,” he said.

Bannon rejected Rose’s assertion that the US was built on the back of those who came to the country and contributed to the economy, calling it a leftist notion.

“You couldn’t be more dead wrong. America was built on her citizens,” he said.

“Economic nationalism is what this country was built on. The American system.”

The chief strategist — widely regarded as the man who won the 2016 election for Mr Trump by shifting his focus to disaffected white rural America, left the Oval Office last month.

He has since returned to Breitbart News as Executive Chairman and told Rose the decision to leave the White House was his alone.

Meanwhile the White House insisted Mr Trump “was right” to fire Mr Comey.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Mr Trump’s decision was justified given Mr Comey’s conduct after the decision.

She accused the former FBI director of “giving false testimony”, “leaking privileged information to journalists” and politicising his investigation.

Mr Comey’s firing angered career officials at the FBI, and the former director has defended his handling of the investigation into the Trump campaign’s possible connections with Russia.

Here are just a few other points Bannon made during his interview.

ON RUSSIA:

Bannon said the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election was a waste of time.

“I think it’s far from conclusive that the Russians had any impact on this election,” he told Rose.

Bannon also denied Mr Trump never criticised Russia, arguing the US had other issues to deal with.

“I don’t think the President goes out of his way — what his point is, why pick another fight? In a world of anarchy do we need another enemy?”

ON CHINA:

Bannon said the Asian powerhouse was the biggest problem the US has on the world stage.

“The elites in this country have got us in a situation, we’re at not economic war with China, China is at economic war with us,” he said.

ON BUSH:

Bannon doesn’t hold back on what he thinks of previous administrations, taking a huge swipe at George W Bush in particular.

“That’s the geniuses of the Bush administration. I hold these people in contempt, total and complete contempt” he said.

“They’re idiots, and they’ve gotten us in this situation, and they question a good man like Donald Trump.”

He also takes aim at the Obama and Clinton “crowds” adding they’re “almost the same.”

ON LOYALTY:

According to Bannon, his job was and still is loyal the President even if he doesn’t necessarily agree with him.

“When you side with the man you side with the man,” he said adding his job now was to defend Mr Trump outside the White House.

debra.killalea@news.com.au