Bannon and Miller also reportedly overruled Department of Homeland Security guidance that green card holders would not be affected, according to CNN, which White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus denied on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday. Those people with lawful permanent residence in the US will still face additional screening and questions, Priebus added.
A source close to the Trump administration denied that Bannon is pulling the strings, saying Trump doesn’t do things he doesn’t want to do. The source lauded Bannon as “someone who very much understands the populist sentiment that was championed by the president on the campaign trail” and would effectively implement that vision.
As for the National Security Council, the source stressed that Bannon was not supplanting the military and intelligence officials but merely being added to the group, because he is one of the “premiere experts on the populist, nationalist movements that we’re seeing around the globe.” Bannon laid out his views in detail in a 2014 speech reported by BuzzFeed News.
But key Republican sources who have been in contact with the administration told BuzzFeed News they view the developments of the first week as a way for Bannon to consolidate power for his side amid internal competition between different camps of aides.
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