Steve Bannon mocked Ivanka Trump for condemning Roy Moore, and of course he did

Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist, made his made known his support for Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore at a rally on December 11th. And, while, applauding Moore, Bannon appeared to mock the president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump.

“There’s a special place in hell for Republicans who should know better,” Bannon said, referring to Republicans such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Alabama Senator Richard Shelby who have spoken out against Moore. Bannon argued that Republicans who opposed Moore “didn’t have Trump’s back at all” and were just using the president to pass a tax cut bill.

In November, after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced against Moore, Trump condemned him in an interview with The Associated Press, saying there is “a special place in hell for people who prey on children.” Trump added that she believed the victims and had not seen a reasonable explanation for Moore’s behavior.

Bannon echoed Trump’s words at the Moore rally to mock her and other Republicans who have spoken out against Moore, like McConnell, who has said that Moore will face an Ethics Committee investigation if he is elected.

Moore has been accused of pursuing multiple teenage girls when he was in his 30s. One of the women who accused him, Leigh Corfman, told The Washington Post that Moore sexually assaulted her when she was 14 years old. A report in The New Yorker also alleged that Moore had been banned from an Alabama mall for his predatory behavior.

The president officially endorsed Moore on December 4th, and the Republican National Committee resumed its support of Moore not long after. And the older Trump has continued to vocally support Moore since. According to Politico, his daughter’s opposition to Moore and advisers’ recommendations that he not get involved in the race only helped solidify Trump’s decision to endorse Moore.

Bannon resigned from the White House in August amid the president’s complaints that he was leaking to the press. He returned to his former workplace, the conservative media outlet Breitbart News.

Given Bannon’s bombastic personality, it’s not surprising that he would openly mock the first daughter. But we’re still disgusted that anyone would use politics as an excuse to overlook sexual misconduct allegations. One thing’s for sure, though: Bannon may no longer be a member of the government, but his influence in politics is far from over, for better or for worse.

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