Rep. David Cicilline circulated a letter signed by the vast majority of House Democrats urging President-elect Donald Trump to not appoint Stephen Bannon to a White House role. | AP Photo 169 House Democrats call on Trump to ax Bannon

The overwhelming majority of House Democrats have signed a letter urging Donald Trump to rescind his appointment of Stephen Bannon to a senior White House post, calling the Breitbart boss a purveyor of anti-Semitism, misogyny and racism.

“Millions of Americans have expressed fear and concern about how they will be treated by the Trump Administration and your appointment of Mr. Bannon only exacerbates and validates their concerns,” 169 Democratic members wrote.


The letter, circulated by Rhode Island Rep. David Cicilline, includes more than 30 members of California’s delegation, as well as all nine members of the Massachusetts delegation. Democrats have pounced on the appointment of Bannon, a senior Trump campaign official, as chief adviser and senior strategist in the White House.

The letter notes the praise by white nationalists after Bannon’s appointment was announced Sunday. It ticks off a list of inflammatory Breitbart headlines, including ones that mocked a Republican Trump detractor as a “renegade Jew” and hailed the history of the Confederate flag.

Trump has signaled confidence in Bannon, who has been calling Republican lawmakers to sooth concerns about his new role.

