Steve Bannon in the White House? Rep. Engel, just say no

Editor’s note: The letter below was originally sent to Rep. Eliot Engel.

To the editor:

Dear Congressman Engel,

It is traditional to give a president-elect the leeway to make his appointments, whether to the Cabinet or to White House positions. In most cases, we should abide by that tradition, although we may disagree with political points of view. It is a different matter when someone is appointed who is a proud racist and promulgator of hate. We all know that President-elect Trump announced that Steve Bannon, a racist and anti-Semite, and a xenophobe, whose opinions were and continue to be widely circulated, will be chosen to be his chief strategist and counselor. Mr. Bannon’s appointment must be challenged. We cannot wait until he assumes this White House position.

I ask that you and your colleagues in Congress demand that the president-elect reverse his decision and deny Mr. Bannon the position. A hater and bigot must not be allowed access to the president of the United States.

Sincerely,

Gordon I. Silverman

Before I wrote this letter, I called Representative Engel’s office. I urge as many people as possible to contact him to ask that he take action on the Bannon appointment. Telephone: 202-225-2464.