Former White House adviser Steve Bannon said Wednesday he’s furious that ex-President Donald Trump has canceled his press conference at Mar-a-Lago which had been scheduled for Thursday, the first anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
According to reports, Trump put the kibosh on the long-planned presser after no media outlets would agree to air it live and in its entirety.
Additionally, Axios reports that Trump was pressured not to carry through with such an event by those who have his ear:
Before Donald Trump canceled his planned Jan. 6 press conference, several key allies — including hardline Fox News host Laura Ingraham and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) — made clear they thought it was a bad idea to invite the national media to Mar-a-Lago to mark the deadly riot.
That led Bannon to lash out at Trump, Graham, and others during his “War Room” podcast on Wednesday:
“We are never going to back off it. And that’s why President Trump tomorrow should step in front of the microphones at Mar-a-Lago. When Lindsey Graham is giving you advice, run the other way. That guy is wrong on everything. He’s part of the problem, not part of the solution.”
Rather than backing down, Bannon continued, Trump needed to go through with the press conference:
“Donald J. Trump should walk up tomorrow at Mar-a-Lago and the whole world would be there. He’s got command of the narrative. Nobody’s got the facts better than Donald Trump. Nobody can give a press conference better than Donald Trump.”
That wasn’t all Bannon had to say. He also suggested that Trump had been duped by those who don’t have his best interests at heart:
“If they are telling you not to do something, do the exact opposite! They’re not your friends and allies because they’ve drafted off your coattails forever and put the knife into you and cut you up a million ways from Sunday.
“So don’t listen to them. When Lindsey Graham tells you don’t have a press conference, you know what you do? Say, hey, you know what? The press conference is going to go for five hours. Right? Five hours.”
More than anything, Trump’s attorneys probably made it clear to him that if he starts talking about what happened on Jan. 6, he’s setting himself up to be charged with various crimes, including seditious conspiracy, which carries a prison term of 20 years.
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