Donald Trump’s campaign chief Steve Bannon scrutinised over domestic violence, electoral registration and anti-Semitic remarks
New details about Bannon’s personal life could complicate Trump’s recent attempts to improve his standing among moderate voters, minorities and women
A domestic violence case and voter registration irregularities involving Donald Trump’s new campaign chief executive brought fresh scrutiny on Friday to how well Trump vets his most senior employees and advisers – another distraction from the themes the Republican nominee wants to emphasise less than 11 weeks from the election.
Records show Steve Bannon changed his voter registration address in Florida this week as reporters were preparing a story about how he was registered at an address where he did not live. A spokeswoman provided a statement from someone who said Bannon had lived there but did not respond to a question about why he changed his registration to the new address.
Bannon is also under a spotlight after revelations that he was charged with misdemeanour domestic violence 20 years ago against his then-wife. The case was dismissed.
It just undermines any effort they are pursuing to try and soften him up when he surrounds himself with people like that
The new details about Bannon’s personal life could complicate Trump’s recent attempts to improve his standing among moderate voters, minorities and women.
“It just undermines any effort they are pursuing to try and soften him up when he surrounds himself with people like that,” said Katie Packer, a Republican strategist who vigorously opposes Trump.
Packer, who served as deputy campaign manager to Republican nominee Mitt Romney in 2012, said Bannon would have never passed the vetting process Romney’s team used when they made hiring decisions.
On Thursday, Bannon’s registration information was changed from an address in Miami-Dade County to Sarasota County, according to Carolina Lopez, the deputy supervisor of elections in Miami-Dade. On Friday morning, The Guardian newspaper reported that Bannon had been registered to vote at an address in Miami-Dade where he did not reside, putting him at odds with state election laws.
