President Trump’s lawyers threatened legal action against former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon after extremely critical comments he made about the president’s campaign and associates in Michael Wolff’s latest book, “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.”
Bannon’s statements, including the fact that he believed Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting with the Russian lawyer was treasonous, prompted Trump to issue a scathing rebuke of his former adviser.
In an official statement, the president said Bannon “not only lost his job [when he was fired], he lost his mind.”
Trump totally torches Bannon: “When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind.” Full statement: pic.twitter.com/ElhChPiOx8
— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) January 3, 2018
The cease-and-desist letter sent Wednesday night threatens Bannon with “imminent” legal action, noting that he violated a non-disclosure agreement he signed during the campaign.
More than that, however, Charles Harder, Trump’s lawyer, said Bannon defamed, slandered, and told lies about Trump.
“You have breached the Agreement by, among other things, communicating with author Michael Wolff about Mr. Trump, his family members, and the Company (the Trump campaign), disclosing Confidential Information to Mr. Wolff, and making disparaging statements and in some cases outright defamatory statements to Mr. Wolff about Mr. Trump, his family members, and the Company,” Harder wrote.
Bannon’s comments, he added, give rise to “numerous legal claims including defamation by libel and slander, and breach of his written confidentiality and non-disparagement agreement with our clients. Legal action is imminent.”
Harder gave Bannon 24 hours from the time of his writing to comply with the demands made in the letter.
On Sirius XM’s Patriot Channel’s “Breitbart News Tonight” Wednesday, Bannon seemed unfazed, calling the president a “great man.”
“You know I support him day in and day out, whether going through the country giving the Trump miracle speech or on the show or on the website,” he told one caller.