California Rep. Barbara Lee, former Black Caucus Chair who had trouble endorsing former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, took to Twitter this week to let her East Bay constituents know that “I’m with you” and against Stephen K. Bannon, who she referred to as a “bigot”.
Sen. Lee used the “Stop Bannon” and “No Normalization” hashtags to procure her claims:
Received hundreds of calls from #EastBay residents to #StopBannon. I’m with you – this man is a bigot who should never step foot in the WH.
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) November 15, 2016
Trump’s choice of Steve Bannon means a white nationalist will serve as the President’s closest adviser in the White House. #NoNormalization
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) November 14, 2016
Earlier in the week the Anti-Defamation League backed down and retracted such accusations against Breitbart’s former Executive Chairman and President-elect Donald Trump’s chief White House strategist.
Lee joins Democratic Sen. Harry Reid in her condemnation of Trump’s “dangerous” selection.
The self-described “Progressive Democrat” Lee also went on a Twitter rant this week, attacking Trump, members of the Republican Party and Trump’s cabinet position picks:
President-elect Trump: you can’t be “president for all Americans” when your team is stacked with white nationalists, islamophobes & bigots.
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) November 18, 2016
GOP transition:
✔️Appoint white nationalist as WH adviser
✔️Cite Japanese internment to justify Muslim registry
✔️Take all-white GOP selfie— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) November 17, 2016
Sen. Lee also found issue with Trump’s attorney general pick, Sen. Jeff Sessions and retired General Mike Flynn as his national security advisor:
The idea of Sen. Jeff Sessions – who was rejected for a judgeship because of racist comments – leading @TheJusticeDept is appalling.
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) November 18, 2016
Gen. Flynn has spent his career denigrating Muslims & alienating our allies. His ignorant comments put our troops at risk.
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) November 18, 2016
However, her list of ills towards Bannon were so long that she told her constituents, “don’t even get me started”:
And don’t even get me started on Steve Bannon – he shouldn’t be allowed into the White House, let alone run it.
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) November 18, 2016
Lee, who ran for reelection this past year, blew out her Republican opponent Sue Carro in San Francisco’s deeply liberal Bay Area to maintain her seat as the incumbent in the 13th Congressional District.
Follow Adelle Nazarian on Twitter and Periscope @AdelleNaz