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November 15, 2016

Thompson: Bannon’s Ideology Threatens Communities

(WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, released the following statement on homeland security implication of President-elect Trump’s hiring of Stephen Bannon as White House Chief Strategist and Senior Counselor:

“From a homeland security standpoint, the President-elect is off to a very troubling start.  After running a divisive campaign, President-elect Trump chose Steve Bannon, a person who has made a career of espousing racist, anti-Semitic, white nationalist, homophobic, and incendiary views, as his top White House strategist. This selection signals to leaders of domestic extremist movements who consider Bannon a hero that the Trump Administration embraces their ideologies.”

“The anecdotal evidence from across the nation of acts of violence and vandalism against immigrant and minority communities in the wake of the election must not be ignored.  Prominent law enforcement officials have acknowledged that the ideology espoused by Bannon and his cohorts is a grave danger to their communities. Compounding this threat is the prospect that foreign terrorist organizations, including ISIL, will seize on Trump’s rhetoric to inspire or recruit terrorists in the U.S.”

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Media contact: Adam Comis at (202) 225-9978