The Firm founder Jeff Kwatinetz, a passionate liberal who was in business with Bannon for two years, says the White House chief counsel has “great character.”

President Donald Trump’s controversial chief strategist Steve Bannon has ties to Hollywood, as has been widely reported, including a lucrative stake in the TV sitcom Seinfeld. But few, if any, who crossed paths with Bannon during his stint in the entertainment industry have been willing to speak candidly and on the record about him.

Jeff Kwatinetz, his former Hollywood business partner, now says he can’t take it anymore so he has decided to go on the record for the first time with The Hollywood Reporter. In a Q&A, the founder of The Firm talent management and TV production company says some surprising things about one of the most polarizing figures in politics. Bannon was with The Firm in 2002 and 2003 when it purchased Michael Ovitz’s powerful Artist Management Group.