特朗普炒了联邦调查局局长科米的鱿鱼

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WASHINGTON — The just-departed chief White House strategist referred to the firing of FBI director James Comey as perhaps the biggest mistake in modern political history, commenting in his first televised interview since leaving government.

Donald Trump’s ex-strategist and campaign manager insisted he will continue to support the president’s agenda against the pro-trade, pro-globalization Republican establishment they both deeply disdain.

But Steve Bannon made clear his view that Trump set in motion a damaging chain-reaction by firing the former FBI director this spring. He offered a no comment when asked whether the firing was supported by one of his political nemeses: Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner.

“The media has reported I was adamantly opposed to that,” Bannon told a “60 Minutes” interview, in an exchange left out of Sunday’s broadcast.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt that if James Comey had not been fired we would not have a special counsel… We would not have the Robert Mueller investigation. We would not have the Mueller investigation in the breadth that clearly Mr. Mueller is going.”

When asked about media reports that Bannon supposedly viewed the firing as the biggest mistake in political history, he at first called that slightly bombastic, then added a caveat: “Maybe modern political history.”

The tumult caused by the FBI director’s firing prompted Justice Department officials to name a special investigator. The investigator, Mueller, is now reportedly examining a range of alleged incidents including obstruction of justice and money-laundering, and numerous White House staff and presidential associates have hired lawyers.

Bannon was asked whether he agreed with some Trump allies who want to try firing Mueller. He said: “No, I do not.” When asked about media reports that Kushner pushed for Comey’s firing, he said: “You will have to find that out either through the media or through the investigation.”

Kushner is among the numerous rivals he clashed with in the White House.

In the “60 Minutes” interview, he sought to settle scores with a few of them. He suggested economic adviser and Democrat Gary Cohn should resign, rather than complaining publicly about the way Trump handled the racial incident in Charlottesville.

He also accused the Republican party leadership of trying to block Trump’s agenda.

The congressional wing of the party is more supportive of trade deals like NAFTA, more favourable to immigration, and less supportive of funding a wall with Mexico, than Trump is.

“The Republican establishment is trying to nullify the 2016 election,” Bannon told the interviewer Charlie Rose.

“That’s a brutal fact we have to face… I think (Senate Leader) Mitch McConnell, and to a degree, (House Leader) Paul Ryan, they do not want Donald Trump’s populist, economic nationalist agenda to be implemented. It’s very obvious.”

He suggested a current split over undocumented children could rip the party apart. He predicted a nationalist, populist movement will prevail in American politics — but it’s not yet clear whether it will be of a left-wing or right-wing variety.

Bannon said that depends on whether Republicans or Democrats take up the cause of trade-skepticism.

 

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班农：将科米撤职可能是现代政治史上最大错误
VOA, 2017年9月12日 04:30

时任白宫首席战略师的班农等待总统川普就美国改变在巴黎气候协定问题上的立场发表声明。（2017年6月1日）

华盛顿 — 前白宫首席战略师史蒂文·班农认为他的前上司川普总统将联邦调查局局长科米解职，犯下了可能是“现代政治史上”最大的错误。

科米5月9日被撤职之前负责联调局有关俄罗斯据称与川普竞选班子勾结干预美国去年大选的调查。 白宫先是说，科米被撤职是因为他对川普竞选对手希拉里·克林顿滥用私人电邮服务器一事调查不利。

但川普几天后推翻了这个解释，他在接受美国全国广播公司(NBC)新闻节目采访时说， 他决定将科米撤职，想到的是“这个俄罗斯事情”。

川普一直争辩说，他的竞选团队在2016年总统竞选期间并未与俄罗斯勾结。他说，有人企图把他的竞选与莫斯科联系起来，是因为民主党人要为败选找理由。

美国司法部的第二把手罗德·罗森斯坦副部长在科米被撤职八天之后，不顾川普反对， 任命前联调局局长穆勒为独立检察官，负责调查川普竞选班子是否与俄罗斯相勾结以及川普将科米撤职是否涉嫌妨碍司法。

班农在接受哥伦比亚广播公司(CBS)“60分钟”节目采访时说，“我认为， 毫无疑问，如果詹姆斯·科米没有被撤职， 我们就不会有一位独立检察官， 不会有穆勒显然想要进行的广泛调查。”

班农是川普民粹主义竞选活动晚期的一个关键人物，他一直是川普的高级顾问之一，但上个月在白宫办公厅主任凯利上任后被迫辞职。

班农立刻返回他在极右翼网站“布莱巴特新闻”的领导岗位。他说，他计划利用这个平台，在川普总统整个任期之内，在外面做川普的“边锋”。