Steve Bannon Says Nancy Pelosi Is ‘Winning’ And ‘Will Impeach’ Donald Trump – Newsweek

Steven Bannon said on Sunday morning that he believes Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is "winning" the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump and "will impeach the president."

Bannon, who previously served as a top strategist and senior counselor for the president, made the remarks during an interview with radio talk show host and billionaire John Catsimatidis on The Answer in New York. The Trump official, who co-founded the alt-right website Breitbart News, went on the show to promote his news podcast called War Room: Impeachment, which intends to defend the president.

Pelosi, the top Democrat in Washington, "will impeach the president of the United States on two counts: one, abuse of power, the other obstruction of power," Bannon told Catsimatidis. He classified her impeachment inquiry as the "most sophisticated political warfare" and "the most sophisticated political disinformation campaign."

"They're winning right now," the former White House strategist asserted. He said his podcast was set up to provide the American public with "the facts and the details of the witnesses, the testimony, the legal arguments." Bannon argued that he would defend Trump until he was "acquitted."

Democrats launched the fast-moving impeachment inquiry against Trump at the end of September after an anonymous government whistleblower raised concerns that the president was abusing his office to pressure Ukraine to launch investigations in an effort to damage his political rivals. It was also alleged that the president temporarily withheld nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine as part of the pressure campaign. Bill Taylor, the current top U.S. diplomat to Ukraine, and Gordon Sondland, the U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, have both confirmed to investigators that the aid was withheld to pressure the leaders of the Eastern European nation to open the probes.

The military aid to Ukraine was approved by Congress with bipartisan support, and several prominent Republicans have raised serious concerns about the president's actions. However, Trump and his supporters have argued that the impeachment inquiry is purely "partisan." Bannon told Catsimatidis that Trump's goal right now should be to pressure all Republicans to vote against impeachment, so the entire investigation will be viewed as merely political.

Numerous polls have shown that the majority of Americans support the impeachment inquiry against Trump. However, the support is divided along party lines, with the vast majority of Democrats approving of the congressional probe, while the majority of Republicans disapprove.

Bannon departed from the Trump administration in August of 2017 following the violent Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville. The event brought together neo-Nazis and members of the alt-right, many of whom felt emboldened by Trump's victory. A counter demonstrator was killed during the protests, but Trump insisted there were "very fine people" on both sides. Bannon had reportedly encouraged the president to spread blame for the violence, instead of specifically condemning the white nationalists.

Despite Bannon's departure from the White House, he has continued to be a supporter of the president. Trump has also reportedly stayed in contact with the alt-right figure.

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Steve Bannon Says Nancy Pelosi Is 'Winning' And 'Will Impeach' Donald Trump - Newsweek