HONOLULU (AP) — U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono has called on President-elect Donald Trump to rescind his job offer to former Breitbart News chief Stephen Bannon.
HONOLULU (AP) — U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono has called on President-elect Donald Trump to rescind his job offer to former Breitbart News chief Stephen Bannon.
Hirono, a Hawaii Democrat, joined a chorus of Democrats speaking out against Bannon. He has “demeaned women, advocated for white supremacy and promoted anti-Semitism,” the senator said Tuesday, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.
Democrats Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Sen.-elect Chris Van Hollen of Maryland also attended the Washington, D.C. press conference where Hirono spoke. They displayed a sign that read, “Fire Bannon.”
“Quite frankly, it is sad that we are having a debate about whether a white supremacist should serve as a senior counselor to the president-elect,” said Hirono.
Trump announced Sunday that Bannon will be his chief strategist and senior counselor in the White House. Breitbart News has a following among people associated with the “alt right” movement, including white nationalists, so the choice of Bannon caused furor among Democrats as well as organizations such as the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Definition League.
Bannon was the executive chairman of Breitbart News before he joined the Trump campaign in August.
“I represent the state of Hawaii, one of the most racially and culturally diverse states in the entire country, and since the election I have said that we should judge the president-elect by his actions and decisions,” Hirono said. “Presidents send clear messages about their intentions by who they appoint to senior positions, and the appointment of Steve Bannon is a pretty clear message to us. What Steve Bannon believes is not a mystery — he has demeaned women, advocated for white supremacy and promoted anti-Semitism.”