FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
WASHINGTON — Today, Steve Bannon was removed from the National Security Council. It’s a victory against white supremacy, extremism and warmongering, due in large part to the hundreds of thousands of Americans who stood up and said, “No.” Over 1.1 million Americans signed petitions organized by 16 organizations, including those quoted below demanding Bannon’s removal from the National Security Council.
Color of Change
“Steve Bannon’s removal from the National Security Council is a victory for people of color everywhere and the 50,000 Color Of Change members who took action to remove this white nationalist from the powerful National Security Council. Despite being removed from the NSC, Bannon’s reckless, racist, and apocalyptic worldview is still a threat to people of color, as long as Bannon is in the White House influencing President Trump, he will be a danger to people of color,” said Brandi Collins, Senior Campaign Director at Color Of Change. “White nationalists do not belong in the White House, full stop.”
Courage Campaign
“Donald Trump never should have elevated Stephen Bannon, a white nationalist who regularly promoted cartoonish conspiracy theories, to the National Security Council,” said Eddie Kurtz, executive director of Courage Campaign. “We’re thrilled he’s been removed from the council, and utterly disappointed that the Republican-led Congress didn’t have the guts to rein Bannon in as more than 65,000 Courage Campaign members demanded.Through temperament, policy, and scandal, the Trump administration has repeatedly demonstrated that it needs a real check on its worst impulses. Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, Devin Nunes, and other Republican leaders have repeatedly failed the American people on that score.”
CREDO
“It’s been clear from the beginning that anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic, white supremacist, domestic abuser right-wing puppet-master Bannon has been calling the shots in the White House,” said Tessa Levine, Campaign Manager at CREDO. “Now, thanks to the activism of over 327,000 CREDO members and our allies, he has a little less power to enact his hateful agenda,” she added. “While this is a massive victory, our work is not done,” Levine continued. “Bannon should never have been a member of the NSC to begin with and his ongoing presence in the White House endangers the United States and our allies. We must remain vigilant and watch the actions of the White House closely to see if removing Bannon from the NSC will have any impact on policy, or if he’ll continue pulling the strings from the outside.”
Daily Kos
“Getting Steve Bannon off the National Security Council is another victory for the resistance movement. It’s a signal that our pressure keeps working and should not stop. So this is just the first step with Bannon. This racist extremist must now be removed from the White House,” said Mara Schechter, Campaign Director at Daily Kos. “Over 300,000 Daily Kos members called for Bannon to be removed from the National Security Council, and many have called for his ousting from the White House, as well.”
Greenpeace USA
“It’s time for Steve Bannon to be fully ‘de-operationalized.’ He’s at best an extremist, anti-Muslim, white nationalist with no idea how government can or should work,” said Travis Nichols, Greenpeace USA spokesperson. “At worst, he’s the linchpin of a looming global catastrophe. He should never have been on the National Security Council, and he should be nowhere near any governmental decision making. His removal shows that resistance works and that we should collectively keep the pressure on to stop the worst of this administration.”
Jewish Voice for Peace
“Jews around the world are about to celebrate the festival of liberation, Passover,” said Rabbi Joseph Berman of Jewish Voice for Peace. “This year our celebration will now include the removal of a white supremacist and anti-Semite from the NSC. May it be a first step in moving us away from tyranny and suffering towards true freedom for all.”
MomsRising
“Stephen Bannon has a history of promoting anti-semitism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, transphobia and white supremacy – and has dedicated his life to dividing Americans. He was wholly unfit to serve on the National Security Council and his removal from the council makes us all safer. For months, moms across the country have spoken out against Bannon’s appointment to chief White House strategist and his position as a political appointee on the National Security Council – and today they applaud his removal from that post. But the fight isn’t over – Bannon still doesn’t belong in the White House and MomsRising’s more than 1 million members across the country won’t rest until he’s removed from our government entirely,” explained Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, executive director and CEO of MomsRising.
MoveOn.org
“The removal of white supremacist and conspiracy theorist Steve Bannon from the National Security Council will make America safer,” said Ilya Sheyman, executive director of MoveOn.org Political Action. “MoveOn members and other Americans taking action via allied organizations generated 1.1 million signatures calling for Bannon’s removal from the NSC, and our voices were heard. Now it is time to fully remove him from his role in the White House.”
Rainforest Action Network
“Steve Bannon and his white supremacist ideology should not be anywhere near the White House,” said Lindsey Allen, Executive Director Rainforest Action Network. “Donald Trump’s continued campaign of lies and distraction as he eviscerates environmental protections, rolls back social justice reforms, and pushes through policies to enrich his corporate cronies at the expense of low-income communities can be directly traced to Bannon.”
UltraViolet
“Steve Bannon is a white supremacist, an anti-Semite and a domestic abuser. His position on the National Security Council was a danger to the country and to the world – and removing him from the council makes us all just a little bit safer,” said Shaunna Thomas, co-founder of UltraViolet. “But we won’t rest until he’s removed from the White House entirely. The American people deserve better than to have a dangerous man like Bannon running the show.”
WAND
“Today’s removal of Steve Bannon from the National Security Council is a major victory for the NSCwatch project and for common sense national security policy. However, let’s be clear that if Stephen Bannon’s white nationalistic views have no place on the National Security Council, they also have no place in the White House. His worldview jeopardized our national security while on the National Security Council and continues to have very serious consequences for American interests as long as he remains part of the Trump administration. Further, White House staff who share Bannon’s nativist perspective remain on the National Security Council. Their views will continue to politicize the National Security Council in ways that put American safety and security at risk. They, too, have to go.”
Win Without War
“Steve Bannon’s removal from the National Security Council will not only make America safer, but it’s also a victory for the hundreds of thousands of Americans who took action and said a white nationalist, warmongering, political operative with no credentials shouldn’t be anywhere near the epicenter of U.S. national security and foreign policy making,” said Win Without War Director Stephen Miles.
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