Author Michael Wolff on Wednesday took credit for Stephen Bannon’s ouster from Breitbart News after the publication of his controversial book about the Trump White House, but said that he doesn’t “feel good about” it.
“It certainly wasn’t something I expected, and it’s certainly not something I feel good about,” Wolff said on ABC’s “The View” when asked if Bannon’s leaving was a direct result of the book’s publication.
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In his new book “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,” Wolff quoted Bannon, then a top White House strategist, saying that a June 2016 meeting between the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., and a Russian attorney in Trump Tower was “treasonous.” He also reportedly said that then-candidate Donald Trump must have known about it, and made other disparaging remarks about the Trump family.
Breitbart announced Tuesday that Bannon would step down from his post as the conservative news site’s executive chairman, following a dramatic falling out between the former strategist and the president following the publication of “Fire and Fury.”
Bannon was reportedly forced out by GOP mega-donor Rebekah Mercer, a Trump supporter who owns a large stake in Breitbart.
“I came to like Steve,” Wolff said. “A hundred percent of what Steve says I probably don’t agree with, but I came to appreciate a, his insights and b, to believe this was a man who thought he had a job to do.”
Wolff added that he was the “recipient of his enormous frustration” in the quotes. According to Wolff, Bannon was frustrated that President Trump did not completely match up with his populist vision of “Trumpism.”
“I’m the reason he’s out,” Wolff said.