Reid: Trump must ‘take responsibility,’ fire Bannon
Sen. Reid: "It is not normal for the KKK to celebrate the election of a president they view as their champion." https://t.co/hploRyQC7c
— ABC News (@ABC) November 15, 2016
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday tore into Stephen Bannon, demanding President-elect Donald Trump ditch Bannon as his chief strategist.
“If Trump is serious about seeking unity, the first thing he should do is rescind his appointment of Steve Bannon,” Reid said from the Senate floor.
{mosads}”I say to Donald Trump: Take responsibility, rise to the dignity of the office. … Stop hiding behind your Twitter account.”
Reid recounted stories of Americans being harassed and targeted since last week’s presidential election, including his doctor in Nevada being told to go back to Pakistan.
“A man who lost the election by 2 million votes or so is now the president-elect. His election sparked a wave of hate crimes across America. This is a simple statement of fact,” Reid said.
“We have a responsibility to say it is not normal for the KKK, the Ku Klux Klan, to celebrate the election of a president they view as their champion with a victory parade.”
Reid joined a list of Democratic senators including Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Ed Markey (Mass.), Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Cory Booker (N.J.) and Al Franken (Minn.) in calling on Trump to fire Bannon, who was named as his chief strategist and senior counselor.
Reid, who is retiring, hasn’t backed down from his sharp criticism of Trump since the real estate mogul won the White House race, even as many Senate Democrats offer the president-elect a tentative olive branch.
He added Tuesday that while Democrats will work with Trump on areas where they agree, they also “have a responsibility to lead.”
“We have a responsibility to be the voice of millions of Americans sitting at home afraid that they’re not welcome anymore in Donald Trump’s America.”
Reid also submitted into the “record” an NBC News article about hate crimes since Trump’s election win, adding: “I don’t believe anyone in this chamber wants to defend the hateful acts that are being committed in Donald Trump’s name.”
Democrats argue Bannon’s appointment goes against Trump’s pledge during his victory speech to work with Democrats and reach out to voters who did not support him.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) responded to Reid’s remarks by suggesting they violated the “spirit of the rule” that bans disparaging colleagues from the Senate floor.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) took a bipartisan tone during his first remarks since lawmakers returned to Washington after its pre-election recess.
“As President Obama reminded us, we’re all on one team,” he said. “We’re not Democrats first, we’re not Republicans first, we’re Americans first. We’re patriots first.”
Republicans have largely sidestepped weighing in on Bannon, a controversial figure who has been critical of House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).
Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s campaign manager, said Bannon’s entire career should be examined, not just his time leading Breitbart News.
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