"There's a real concern among lawmakers about who they'll be interfacing with at the White House," said a Freedom Caucus source after Steve Bannon's departure. | Andrew Harnik/AP

Steve Bannon's exit from the White House on Friday is alarming conservative lawmakers and outside groups, who are losing a key ally in President Donald Trump's inner circle.

As the tremors unleashed by Bannon's sudden exit reverberated across Washington, these conservatives began to wonder aloud about who in the White House would voice their concerns without the wily former chief strategist looking over the president's shoulder.

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"There's a real concern among lawmakers about who they'll be interfacing with at the White House," a Freedom Caucus source said. "Conservatives felt they had an ally in Bannon."

Bannon has long been seen as the Trump adviser with the tightest connection to Trump's populist base. He forged an especially close relationship with the House Freedom Caucus the influential bloc of hard-line House Republicans during a bruising fight over health care in the spring.

The experience helped establish a direct channel of influence for a set of lawmakers that often clashes with Speaker Paul Ryan and other House leaders.

The Freedom Caucus source wasn't sure whom the group would turn to now in the West Wing, though the group's leader, Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), is said to have a direct link to the president these days.

Bannon played a central role in keeping the Freedom Caucus in the president's good graces when the group initially appeared to blow up the House's Obamacare repeal-and-replace effort in April. Conservatives who felt sidelined and ignored by Ryan and his leadership team took their case to Bannon, who personally conveyed and advocated their points on health care to the president.

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Bannon was also set to be a friend of the Freedom Caucus on tax reform. Sources said he supported the group's push to impose work requirements for welfare recipients, yielding savings that could help finance tax cuts.

At the same time, Republican congressional leaders see Bannon's departure as a boon, congressional sources said, since he seemed to be the likeliest adviser to encourage Trump's urges to attack Congress. And it likely weakens Meadows, a Bannon ally who has often been a thorn in leadership's side.

Freedom Caucus members may have to rely more on legislative affairs aide Paul Teller, an ardent conservative himself. But Teller is not in the president's inner circle, so the group's reach into the Oval Office could be reduced. Meadows may also have to take his case directly to Trump more often, but will have to argue his point without Bannon's support.

Other conservative allies of the president argued that Bannon's ouster won't dramatically alter what the administration does, if only because Trump acts mainly on his own instincts.

"I don't think his departure will change Trump's behavior at all," said Steve Deace, an influential conservative radio commentator in Iowa.

Others noted that Trump could still turn to Bannon for advice from outside the White House.

"I dont think conservatives should fear that this shows President Trump is chucking the conservative agenda," said Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union.

Still, in recent days, some conservatives appeared to be circling the wagons around Bannon amid indications that his job was in jeopardy.

"[I]t is important that those who have been your staunchest supporters know that they are not being drowned out by the Swamp which, due to its nature, seeks to engulf the White House," a coalition of conservative activist groups wrote in a letter to the president earlier Friday. "Steve Bannon and [White House adviser] Kellyanne Conway provide that assurance that you will always have people close to you who support your vision and ours for this great nation."

Richard Manning, president of Americans for Limited Government, called Bannon's ouster "extremely disappointing." Hours before the news broke, the pro-Trump group called the chief strategist an "indispensable part of the administration."

"It's my hope that Steve will be replaced by someone who has a philosophical kinship with the president," Manning said.

Trump's allies on the right aren't sure what comes next.

"@realDonaldTrump needs to hire @CLewandowski immediately, so there's SOMEONE in the White House who isn't from Goldman Sachs," tweeted conservative commentator Ann Coulter, referring to Corey Lewandowski, Trump's former campaign manager, shortly after Bannon's ouster was announced.

Michael Flynn Jr., the son of Trump's former national security adviser himself ousted amid questions about his contacts with Russia warned that Trump may be alienating his base,

"Trump's most loyal advisors who had HUGE roles getting him elected now out," Flynn Jr. tweeted. "[G]ood luck Trump."

Daniel Lippman contributed to this report.

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Freedom Caucus loses key White House ally with Bannon exit - Politico