Watch Steve Bannon's Full Interview With MSNBC's Ari Melber | The Beat With Ari Melber | MSNBC

let's start with the midterms if they were held today who do you think would win the house I think they're held today we'd have a tough time holding the house I really do I think it could be north of 25 maybe 30 seats maybe north of that there people are projecting the day could be 45 or 50 seats I believe on by November 6th we're gonna win this I think all this takes is people on our side of the football focusing on what has to happen this up or down vote and president Trump you know this is this election is going to come as a referendum on him he permeates the entire political culture and I think those that are around him are telling him that hey it's okay to lose the house you can work with the Democrats and you can run against a Democratic House in 2020 it's bad advice we have a C for now and have actually made a film that's very much focused on getting out the Trump the Trump based a deplorable 's plus the blue-collar democrats i think this the opposition party media and the democrats did succeed in one thing i think they did get a do-over to 2016 and i think this is his first real life you have a new group is that because you think Republicans are on pace to lose and they need your help I think look our group is principally to do the undergirding of president Trump's populism and economic national nationalism message we're trying to have one site that kind of provides information we also think we can augment and help grassroots groups I mean the RNC's got the what they do the super PAC for president Trump what they do the campaign we're totally independent and what we're trying to do is idea generation messaging around that and then kind of action helping to coordinate grassroots you know I'm a big believer as people on the Democratic Left are that grassroots are really where the power is and so we're that's what we're trying to focus that you are gonna save the trump presidency in these midterms does he know that he needs you to save him well I don't think I don't think that quote was we're going to save them what we're trying to do is actually get this message focused the message is about President Trump it's about a referendum on President Trump to me it's an up or down vote I think that Democrats and particularly the grassroots Democrats are running as an impeachment campaign I think our side has to understand that you just can't run on tax cuts you have to run on the entire package of the trump president I think impeachments on the ballot in November why absolutely because number one Tom Steyer in the grassroots of the Democratic Party have put it on the ballot and so as Nancy Pelosi right now are when they say they're not talking about impeachment because they've looked at the crosstabs in the polling and they understand what we put in Pietschmann on the ballot that it is a way to get all of the deployables out even if the congressman in your district is a rhino that you have to come out to support President Trump look people on the Democratic Left you saw grassroots Netroots nation a couple weeks ago there people in these districts in July in 90-degree heat going door-to-door the reason that going door-to-door is they're talking about the impeachment of President Trump and so all we're saying is that hey it's already on the ballot let's do it mm-hmm your new group is citizens the American Republic and say we're at war what does that really mean well the film says trumpet war I mean the film is about Trump you know Trump's at war against the permanent political class as your film yeah the film is my film it's a film called trumpet war and it shows you that Trump is against is at war with the the permanent political class the opposition party media and basically he's at economic war with China and so I think that when you look at this film you see that President Trump is a disrupter in an innovator and you see that he is kind of kind of delivering on the promises he put forward to the American people that he's not into just managing the decline of the country but he's going to try to turn the country around us so that's what the film is I think I think it's a film that is focused on getting our base jacked up and our base out because if we don't get our base out on November 6 we're gonna have a very bad day at the polls and so it's very important that the Trump voter and the invisible Trump voter show up that like a presidential year it's very important what do you say to Republicans who say why should they take your help if you haven't backed winning candidates in the special elections thus far well I think I think I did back winning candidates in the primary you know the Republican establishment in Alabama a roy more specifically I mean Roy Moore would have won that election if Mitch McConnell and she'll be in these other's head and turned against him and so I think we've got a very good feel for how to to how to win a very good feel how to turn people out you know then I've been irrelevant I've been very involved in this since the Tea Party you know the Tea Party election in 2010 so I think we have a very good idea of how to make these films I had to get people out you bring up really more how can you blame Republicans in Washington for what happened out in Alabama didn't devote make up their mind well the Shelby came out on Sunday morning on national TV and said I'm not voting for more and more I'm doing it right in you know McConnell was the guy it it's the Republican establishment that dumped all this stuff to the Washington Post that turned against him when their candidate got smoked in the primary so there's a Republican establishment that said from day one we're never gone we're now going to support Rory more they were already meeting to unseat Rory more and not to seat him if he'd even won so that was the Republican establishment turning against and they were sending a signal they would rather even lose control the Senate then to allow disruptors in there how much money does your group have we've raised you know quite a bit of money I mean we've made a pretty impressive film we're going to release the film we've got a 25-person staff we run a war room every day we do talking points we can message million dollars over five million dollars over ten million dollars I don't want to get put a specific name on number one is it fair to say you have right now between five and ten million dollars I think it's fair to say that we've got enough resources and even more resources pouring in from from donors and we're eventually going to start a small donor program I've never by the way I've never had a problem getting resources you know whether it was with Breitbart or doing other things I've always had because I'm always you're also very rich and you know a lot of rich people I've had I've had a pretty good run and I do know some high net worth individuals who is funding this group why is it's private donors just private donors just like in the Democratic Party and these some of those groups it's it's private donors why not tell people who they are well because I think that donors want to be private it's it's the law and and and they got full right to do that if they want to come to go public or private if they want if they want to come forward if donors want to come forward they can't come forward does it include Wall Street people finance people hedge definitely includes hedge fund people yes I think you I think you would say there's clue we are very much focused on where the China Hawk you know see for you know I'm very upfront about I think what the situation is with China and I would tend to think that there are people that back this that our China Hawks so for it may be ideology for them they want to make money off what comes out of these election because of their positions no no no I think it's because of their patriotism do they how I don't think it's enough money in this no that's mine outcome no in terms of their positions and that they can benefit from no no no is there anyone you would rather it's really it's really I think more about what they think the direction of the country is is there anyone you would not take money from well I would not take money from foreigners right and there's certain people and I'm pretty selective about you know who I take money from I've always had good partners always had partners have been pretty happy so I'm pretty selective about who I take money from but I've never had I've never had a problem raising money I think you've seen particularly in Wall Street and others you see a lot of people have come from hardscrabble backgrounds or blue-collar backgrounds that see the that like this populism that like economic nationalism that kind of like the Trump the Trump program that are pretty supportive but your critics say that you talk a lot of smack about Wall Street but then you're funded by Wall Street your new group you're admitting is funded by certain individuals you just told me it includes finance ears and includes people with a position in China is what you just said people that understand our position in China the people that understand that working out of the China Hawks I didn't say they had a position in China why should you understand that was how do you take on Wall Street if you're funded by Wall Street well by the way individuals and Wall feet some of the biggest guys on some of the biggest guys on Wall Street are kite quite anti the antics of all fruits been up to I came out of Wall Street I was at Goldman Sachs you kind of know what the game is just because just because you've made some money on Wall Street adjustably cigars you're currently in a hedge fund doesn't mean you don't know what the the practices of Wall Street are I think some of the in effect I think it's a it's been a great way for some people that are blue-collar have come from blue-collar backgrounds to actually get to get ahead last question on this because you know the concern about money in politics runs across the spectrum will you today encourage publicly your donors to come forward because people do want to know who's involved in these elections across the spectrum it's there it's like it's a it's their choice if they want to come forward they can come forward not I mean we talk about dad telling me hey if you want to come forward and say who you are come forward it's look it's not it's not a huge amount of money for them if they want to come forward come forward but I think that if you look at it where the money in politics comes from is the control of both political parties by The Wall Street fashion both the big donor class in the Republican Party and then the wall street fashion that backs the Clintons and backs the centrist in the Democratic Party you're back in the mix partly because of this effort let me read to you what Axios reports some of the White House aides are saying quote there is animus towards Bannon and regarding his latest effort when Matt band's name is mentioned to White House officials they still quote roll their eyes your response I think that's fine I look at the you got to judge the White House on its on its results I'll judge myself and my results I have no problem with that at all what's your current relationship with presidential you can see it every day on in TV I mean is exactly what people report you know president Trump's doing his thing I'm doing my thing remember I didn't really know President Trump that well before I stepped in took in a CEO of the campaign when's the last time you spoke a couple months ago how do you get messages to him other than directly talking I think you get message the president Trump they're talking to the staff I seen you on TV looking what you're doing seeing the film I understand he saw I made a short film on Afghanistan somebody told me he he saw that did it in conjunction with Eric Prince somebody said he saw that sorry it's it's look President Trump people talked about who talks to him who gets to him who does what all president Trump's got to do is listen to himself I mean he's got a very definitive set of beliefs that he's acted on and I think they've been terrific and so he doesn't need Steve Bannon in his ear he doesn't need all the stuff about all the stuff that was a Svengali and all that it's all this all nonsense made up by the opposition party me we're not gonna go through all of it but he said a lot about you when you had a public parting do you think he still believes those things about you I don't I don't know no I don't care look I come from Irish Catholic family with a couple of brothers so I have been in a I've been in a situation when people call people names all the time it doesn't it doesn't affect me I think President Trump has done a terrific job and I think he sees that my Gripen we got a bunch of ex people on the campaign people have been around a long time people been around the Trump movement a long time I think he's I think he sees this I think he would view this as being very supportive did you sign an NDA regarding your campaign experience or your White House experience I think everybody signed up NDA did you yes I think everybody had to sign that yet so does your NDA limit what you're willing or able to say about the president right now I know it doesn't at least in my interpretation and do you have any funds that come to you pursuant to any NDA you've gotten with the president or the campaign or what do you mean by that are you paid pursuant to an NDA contract or a separation agreement are you receiving money in exchange for the terms of the NDA no an NDA is just a non-disclosure agreement I don't think it's I don't think it's a something you get paid for well often there has to be some if you were to if you were to break with NBC and they wanted you had a two-year payout you would have a non-disclosure agreement during that time so that you couldn't badmouth NBC in that time the White House doesn't work the White House doesn't work like that your time at the White House is controversial you know that what do you I think it depends on who you're talking to I think you talk to I think you've talked to the populace it was quite it was quite a non come time you're talking to you because we want to get your perspective what do you see is your accomplishments when you were in the White House well I think one of the accomplishment was kind of help remember President Trump the central part of the campaign was about manage decline you know President Trump went in there said hey we're just not going to do things the old way we're just not I'm just not there to see the decline of the country whether it's in North Korea in China on you know in Iran in the Persian Gulf with the financing of radical Islamic terrorism so I think one of the biggest things was just to sit there and support and I had the white board just to sit there and just go through the campaign promise accomplishments were well I think the accomplishers were to kind of set the framework for what the Trump you know the Trump agenda was and just kind of prioritize it if you look a year and a half later to me he's doing everything on the campaign trail that he that he said he was going to do right he's going down one thing after the other and doing it and so I think it's I think it's been quite positive and I think my time at the White House was kind of set the framework for that said the context of that the main piece of economic legislation that has been passed in the Trump administration is the tax bill most of those benefits go to the very wealthy is that a mistake no no hang over a second the tax bill the central part of the tax bill was also the corporate tax bill was to make sure that we were competitive with Germany and China and if you look at manufacturing jobs coming back here it's part and parcel of this of the situation we're in with the tariffs the economic package in the tax package that was the central part of it so you look at manufacturing jobs and I know I'm not policies that's not 99% of the been of not globally talk not one not globally I'm talking about what happened here what happened here in manufacturing jobs coming back that's why you've got that's what you've got such economic growth in the country one of the reasons is the tax is the tax bill now I wasn't totally I didn't actually love some of the things on the on the on the personal income tax remember in Wolfson Wall Street Journal reported in the Oval Office I fought for a 44% tax for people making over five million dollars I lost that fight but it's not that that can't be redressed sometime in the future when you see 83 percent going to the top one percent is that too much I think what's important is what's happening with corporate America is that corporate America is becoming more competitive and we're repatriating three trillion dollars of cash to come back here investor United States I think this about manufacturing jobs and I think if you look at president Trump's overall economic agenda it's working it's working for it's working for middle-class and working-class people about one more tax thing and then I want to hit some other policy you talk about populism yes the president went to Marlo go where membership is $200,000 and told people the tax bill meant quote you all just got a lot richer is that your populism look I think populism when you look at President Trump as an entire program okay this this tax cut was focused on industrial tax cut and a repatriation of cash it was to make the manufacturing side of this country stronger we had 100 percent you know right off of capital expenditure and period zero this was all about building rebuilding the manufacturing base and that is the type of pipe ilysm I'm talking about am I totally excited about every aspect of the of the tax bill not not that excited you remember I was a big supporter of paul ryan's border addressable tax and that didn't go anywhere so we went to plan B so and do I think this can get better over time absolutely but I think given the context and given the situation this is a very strong tax bill and look at the look at the economic growth I just want to quote so I brought a heuristic device a paper that's not a fan of president Trump's at the Financial Times of London today Walmart bask in US economic glow and this and Mahler a proxy for the working class because when Walmart's good the working class in the middle class in this country doing what I just want to quote the CEO for a second customers tell us that they feel better about the current health of the US economy as well as their personal finances they're more confident about their employment opportunities and that's a CEO of Walmart and Walmart's known as you know Ari on Wall Street as being a proxy for how the working-class and middle-class is doing so you bring it up Walmart it's a big company it employs a lot of people and a lot of people get your cheap products there but you know the labor conditions at Walmart are significantly under strain by the way by you know I'm not I'm not a huge proponent of how they treat their employees what I'm saying is they're talking about the results and what they're talking about is the overall economy that tax cut okay that tax plan the tax reorganization was a central part of that along with tariffs and other things the president is focused on rebuilding the manufacturing base of this country in that and bringing jobs back from China that is populism let me read you something you said after the 2016 election victory the Conservatives are going to go crazy I'm the guy pushing a trillion dollar infrastructure plan the greatest opportunity to rebuild everything shipyards ironworks it will be as exciting as the 1930s greater than the Reagan Revolution you didn't get that done at the White House why not well because I think we triage that we're going to do health care first the tax cut second in infrastructure third and obviously we had a lot of trouble with with health care right and by the way we tied ourselves to the Republican establishment because that was kind of the unity we had to win the Republican establishment was going to do health care we also worked together initially with Paul Ryan and his border adjustable tax which didn't go anywhere we then kind of went to plan B which is the tax bill that you saw the third was going to be infrastructure I'm a huge proponent that we ought to move forward with a with the infrastructure part and I would hope I would hope that President Trump and I think you'll see it that come after the victory in November this year in 2019 you'll start to see the movement into infrastructure how does Donald Trump run for reelection 2020 without ever having done anything on infrastructure well first off you got the economy growing at 4% I mean right now you've got a no no I think an appropriate time we got to come back with an infrastructure plant we got to figure out how to pay for it now that we've got a four point three trillion dollar appropriations bill we do we have trillion-dollar deficits you know going forward I think until we start paying off those deficits we're going to figure out how to do infrastructure but there's no doubt with the growth of the economy the economic growth that I think President Trump will be very well situated and I'd strongly believe that what he's going to do is pivot to infrastructure remember infrastructure has always been at the top one of his top until after the real lecture say well after the reelect of 20 that this reelect here in November here yes yes let me read you more going to me this is a reluctance so in nineteen I think I think will be one of the driving forces of what he doesn't I'm gonna read you more about it okay yes sir quo twenty love here in Benin 2016 sir not one criminal charge has ever been brought to any bank executive associated with the 2008 crisis you said that then then you got in office why hasn't that happened under the Trump administration and what should be done about that I think it look we're in the tenth year anniversary this September's the tenth year anniversary of the financial crisis Donald Trump as I said at New York magazine last week is that the fuse was lit in 2008 and Donald Trump was the explosion he's the result of the financial crisis it was during the Obama administration under under Eric Holder that all the criminal referrals went to and the Justice Department didn't do anything with them you know he's a Covington and Burleigh you know white-collar criminal lawyer I think it's outrageous I think the Justice Department should be I think we ought to rip I think on the tech the lack of action by the Trump Justice Department is outrageous now I just had their no no any was an i but now you can probably hang on hang on I am very upset about Obama in all those years when nothing was done right but I think nobody well I probably I think senator sessions what I would hope would happen okay and particularly on the tenth your anniversary is we start to review some of that and I think people ought to be held accountable no one's been held accountable for the financial crisis and here we are ten years ten years afterwards and we still have no accountability I don't think any real explanation of what went on so you were applying that to both administrations than two sessions as well absolutely you mentioned that you think impeachments driving Democrats what else is driving Democratic turnout in your view in 2018 I think it's I think it's stopping the Trump program I think president I think President Trump has triggered certain elements of the day what about 72 movement well if you look at if you look at the three movements I think are most innovated I don't think it's the me - I call it the times up I think that times up movement is much senior me - is about sexual harassment I think times up is a much more what I call primal that's really about the power dynamics in society what are the times that mean to you what times up means to me is that the end of the patriarchy that's times up in the end of the patriarchy and what they wanted to have is a fundamental shift in the power dynamics in society and so I think you have the times up movement you have what I call the resistance and then I think you have Tom Stiers impeach the president I think those three elements are kind of the the the enthusiasm on the job so you say challenge the patriarchy given the history of gender relations in this country and around the world and the desire for gender equality isn't that a good thing to revise the patriarchy as you put it my oldest daughter is a West Point graduate that served with a hundred and first error and the mantle right there sitting on the throne of Sudan Saddam Hussein in her uniform with the hundred first airborne now I'm a huge believer in equality right and in my daughters I think are living proof of that and the rest of my family so know I'm a huge believer in that I think there's some just evolved I think in the times up movement as a subset of that some of the things have gone as sexual harassment particularly in the media companies that have not been vetted with the executives is something that really needs to be done and so yeah I think I'm not a hundred percent with the times up movement but I can see it's a very powerful political force I was the one that said I think something like Oprah Winfrey will come out of that movement it could be actually a win the Democratic nomination I can't quite tell if you're saying it's a good thing bottom line is it constructive I think is constructive to always review things like this I think some of the radical nosov the is not a positive thing but I think that it's always good to question your assumptions so I think that some of the things are coming out of it particularly what we found out in some of these companies that things went on I think is quite positive there are people who would observe that the way you talk about your daughter and what you just said about gender relations is very different from the way Donald Trump talks the times that by a gender gap now that as you know is 20 points in negative views of the President this Authority let me finish the question you give your time sure is this party walking away from women voters or college-educated women vote well first of you know we won what white women fifty two forty eight over Hillary Clinton the first female nominee in history I think we won white working-class woman something like 69 or 70 percent seventy thirty and so Donald Trump does resonate with that I realized they responded that I'll give you more time okay fine the gender gap in 2016 was the at eleven points was the largest in twenty years right go ahead yeah yeah no but I think a lot of that was also minority women right and Donald Trump you know I think we what we won eight percent of overall african-american voters but I think we had a very big turnout in african-american women but I'm saying but there was never quite there was a question I'll give you time the question is is Donald Trump walking away and walk down the GOP ways definitely news women definitely not walk away look at look at Ivanka I think Ivanka has been very engaged in women's issues she's talking about you know job training and all these other things I think she's very engaged I think you see the way that Donald Trump has a terrific relationship with his daughter show and his wife shows that you know what he what he thinks about this I think a lot of things that people jump on some of the some of the tweets are they jumped on some of the things that they allegedly happened during the campaign right or if the women that came out during the campaign to try to stop it as we as we push through that let's go to Billy Bush weekend me Billy Bush weekend everybody said he should resign there's some of the Republican establishment says you should resign people walked away from the campaign and what he did is he presented the facts of the locker room talk and then we went to st. Louis the next night and I brought the the people that Bill Clinton had actually had actually molested and and I think that the American people weighed and measured that and voted in November and you you brought adult women who were accusers of Bill Clinton and you said they should be heard yes and the response from any people is what about the accusers of Donald Trump should they be heard he threatened to sue them and suggested that would resolve it he never sued them he's facing suits from them and Roy Moore who you backed of course faced his own accusers including multiple women who say he preyed on the hon if you're bringing in you brought it up you brought it up not if I'm what about those accused by the way if they want to come forward they should come forward if they want to come forward they should come forward there are comes someone were coming forward in the court system right now so they want to come forward there's not shy about going after Donald Trump but back to your question Donald Trump hasn't abandoned women he has not abandoned women at all I think that I think if you look at the economy if you look what he's doing across the board that they're they're the beneficiaries of this and I think Donald Trump's going to play very well but you with those accusers yep what do you say to people who see your backing of Roy Moore who is accused of legally worse things Steve I will finish the question I will give you your response time yes sir what do you say to people who say to you is the only standard here partisanship and whether you like the candidate if you're not giving Roy mores accusers the same time well we're more superiors had time during the campaign they're going to have additional time they came forward they had the Washington Post they had the biggest platforms in media were more was buried by that you can't sit there and you can't sit there reasonably as do they not have adequate representation they not have a platform they had the biggest media platforms in the country the boys are getting the most used to be the question gets to be how legitimate were those they ever they ever turn out to be something and that's going to be adjudicated ever shake your view did you ever say maybe I shouldn't be like this personally not given what these women are absolutely not when we look like that what because we looked at the allegations I don't believe I don't believe them didn't I did not believe him then I do not believe them today if they get adjudicated over top maybe I changed my mind but from the facts that I saw then and the facts I see now absolutely not I want to ask you about your of your time in the White House but anything else that you want to say on this topic I don't want to cut you off I just think if you look at it I think President Trump look a lot of people you got to separate this signal from the noise a lot of people get hooked up on the Twitter account and hooked up on what I think is kind of all marginalia if you look at what he's doing which is really saying hey I'm rejecting the decline of the country and whether that's in this economic war the China or whether it's reordering the American economy and really getting jobs for working-class people that's where I think we talk about gender I think he's going to have very strong representation among women that's one of the reasons I'm telling people hey let's get out there and get the Trump coalition that one in 2016 if we get that coalition which included women we're gonna win it we're going to be fine bottom line and a lot of people disagree vehemently with your view of it but bottom line you're saying that what was a historic 11 point gap that currently is 20 with Trump and women you think somehow it will close I think somehow we can definitely close up from 20 absolutely do we get it to the 11 I don't know but I think you enclose it from 20 and I think more importantly we can close it in those districts that we have to win to hold the house there's no doubt about that turning to your time in the White House yes right you had a front row seat that many people would be very interested in I want to start with a very basic question when did you first hear about a proposal to fire James Comey well it was it's been publicly talked about you know the in the in the week before right and the weekend before Bedminster the week before it happened that's what I was starting to be discussed I mean I think it's been pretty well vetted in the press I was not a fan of that I thought the Comey investigation was the reason I wasn't a fan as I said the Comey investigation is going nowhere it's going to start to Peter out actually used a rival of yours you know Anderson Cooper I said it's on the C block at anus and Cooper there's no more juice in this thing and it'll just plant over time and let's just tell that well I talked to the president I mean it's been that's been pretty well reported that was not I was not a fan of the firing of coming and then as you mentioned they go to the Bedminster Golf Club and there started to be an effort by staff to write a letter about the reasons to fire Club I don't know because I look it's one of the reasons I'd left the White House I came on the campaign in August of 16 and I'd always said one year I was gonna leave in August of 17 I told Maggie Haberman of the of the New York Times for early I'm just I'm just you know all I was in the White House was a staffer that was a senior staffer but I was a staffer you know you can't run your own operation you report to the president I states chief of staff you were a White House adviser to the president with walk-in privileges no that was but you know what that is you can give your advice to the President and you're one of a number of voices and he accepts that doesn't so when when when I basically laid out the facts of what I thought the Comey situation was if they if people decide to go in a different direction then it's not it's not my thing I'm not there to try to try to fight things to the very end so you advise against it walk us through the day he was fired the day's fired I see it on TV like everybody else I mean I'm sitting in the chief of staff's office I'm working on something for rights that needs to be done I see it up on TV and what did you think I thought as I said I thought it was a big mistake and I thought it would lead to a special counsel I mean I was pretty I think everything I said the time basically worked itself out there was going to lead to a special case I think if the Comey investigation had been allowed to continue would have taken up another couple of months in a wrapped up do you think at that time the day Comey was fired that Donald Trump or Mike Pence understood this could become evidence in an obstruction case I don't think we're suppressing had forward at full authority to fire company other than a doubt about that I disagree with it we had absolutely full authority he never said probably when he when he when he fired call me he didn't say to the guys at the FBI to shut down the investigation investigation was still continuing on remember the the investigation is not really run by combing it was didn't want any run by McCabe there are other people there running it the report up the McCabe into Comey so he didn't sit there and go hey oh by the way shut up Ryan Comey and shut down the investigation so I don't know why they were ever think that the investigation was going to continue on well when I think if that if that's a if that is what the mole was working on is one of the obstruction things I think it's a pretty thin read totally no we're not in court but I brought a little bit of evidence okay you're familiar with okay the president is you know yeah linked his own criminal exposure and liability to the firing of Comey in that letter you advised him not to do the firing didn't that make it more likely that there would be a special counsel I don't know I don't know if that made it but I thought that if you fired the head of the FBI that it would lead to special counsel just I advise that I don't know if that if that if that the signing of that brought about are lead to a special counsel I said that that's why I thought the firing Comey was stupid like I said the FBI investigation I thought was starting to I believe start to wind down it lost any kind of real juice even in the most the most vitriolic of network CNN and I thought it just should play out and also there's no Russian collusion so let's just yeah just you know cooperate and do what you got to do so there you are working the White House this firing occurs when is the first time during your White service that you ever talked to Bob Muller well Bob molar came in you know in gave advice or was interviewed has been publicly reported for FBI director and you know Bob molar I was sitting in a kind of the outer office and molar actually walks up to me and I've never made before my life I'm standing actually back a who picks at her computer terminal and we're talking about something he walks up and says he just shook hands said Steve I can't believe you know molars a Marine he says Steve I can't believe somebody in the senior naval service allowed his daughter to matriculate at at West Point and I just laughed I told somebody laters pre third guy to know that that's the first time I ever met him what was he trying to say to you I think he was just trying to say I think he was trying to you know just introduce himself at that time it was he was actually there to give advice on the type of person that we should select to be FBI director so it was pretty fascinating yours there working in the White House right after Tommy's five right Bob Miller walks and says this to you and then he what goes into the Oval yeah then it's been reported he was you know they reached out to him vice president pence the president to talk about the attributes that one would look for in a in an FBI director and that's that's the last time him and Donald Trump have spoken face to face I have no idea that you thought you refer to public reporting that's a teller understanding and the White House doesn't claim otherwise did you hear anything about their conversation no I was not part of that that was that was I think it was the Attorney General and I think it was vice president pence and the President had a meeting and I didn't need to be a part of that was Deputy Attorney General Rosen Stein there that day I don't know don't remember did that then precipitate any of the discussions about Muller becoming Special Counsel which was a Rosenstein decision I don't know that that was something that White House Counsel would know I only try to involve myself in things that that are in my bailiwick that was not my daily work I was part of the overall team though that reviewed with Senator sessions at the time the people that he was going to select to be in the singer of the senior leadership of the attorney general's office Rosen Steiner was one of those and I've been pretty adamant about Rosenstein about these failure of the no effectuating the subpoenas on Capitol Hill and I have said you know vocally just like I said I thought the president should fire Ty Cobb and John and John down because I thought they were doing a terrible job representing him as Isis counsel and his White House Counsel I thought Rosenstein should have 72 hours I've been adamant about this I think president Trump bought a direct Rosenstein to to fully effectuate all the subpoenas on the hill dealing with crossfire hurricane that all that material should be turned over to the appropriate committees and if he doesn't do it in 48 or 72 hours given some amount of time I think you're a fire Rosenstein and it's not for obstruction I think it's for transparency the administration should turn those things over to the appropriate committees on the hill did you ever hear Donald Trump talked about wanting to fire sessions Rosenstein or Muller well first of I can't go under all this stuff because it's still an open investigation and I am a witness of fact in a number of these but I would just check reporting on that but I think all of this stuff I think I think all the obstruction stuffed at least I've read about in the paper okay are all pretty thin reads to hold on to think think things like the firing a Comey whatever happened on Air Force One or all the situations with sessions are pretty thin reads you say you're a witness of fact yep which is a good thing for you I think so you haven't been advised it you were something worse than their eyes where you were witness of fact to the investigation regarding obstruction or collusion or both I think what witness a fact for all of it I think I'm a witness a fact for all of it I mean they caught you up there it's not they don't really kind of bifurcate they kind of go to the whole thing and of course I've been to Capitol Hill right a couple of times so you know I'm a witness of fact up there also how many days did you talk to Miller's investigator I don't go into the details but I had a very thorough session right he didn't it was over several days I'd only be specific about how many buds I respected on the details and you know I get that on the other hand some witnesses have spoken out and some of them even work with you and it's fascinating when we can learn something that's part of our jobs what else can you tell us about what you walked away from at a broad level did you feel they were professional did you feel it was a witch hunt what did you know listen I I do think that they're elements of this particularly as things are leaked that it looks like it's a witch hunt I think what's most disturbing is that I did I hang out the IG report that came out about Strock and some of the stuff at the FBI it's clearly causing the question about this entire thing and particularly the crossfire hurricane which is the second part of it about the you know the oversight of this investigation into the Trump campaign and led into the you know the the transition and the Trump administration everything that was done that I engage with with Bob Mullen and I've said from day one bob was a patriot is a combat marine I've got a lot of respect for him personally and I think that his investigation ought to play out and I think you ought to do a report I've also advocated I think it's very important for Bob mola to do the report and to put it out before the November elections and so no but everything in my relationship with them has been very professional it's that will tell people it's quite thorough right but it's quite thorough but I don't say it's a proctology yeah but it's quite thorough but I think it's very professional now I there's certain aspects that I've seen in the press particularly about some of the FBI and and CIA and others that I think calling the question this entire thing I think you could argue that's a witch-hunt and I think the American people are starting to come this way so that's why I think it's let me this is what I think four hooves but hooves Moeller is to get the report done and let's get it out and let people decide what I hear you saying is your personal experience in that questioning and dealing with Bob Miller is that you were not treated in a way that made you think it was a witch-hunt but your observations of other public information Peter struck the IG report gives you that concern yes coppy is jeff Sessions a real attorney general look Jeff Sessions is really the father of kind of this populist movement right he's a great populist I've been very close in fact in this very space right over there is in 2013 sessions and Steven mill and I sat down and kind of plotted out what we thought would be the 2016 the Republican primary how we're going to make trade from number 100 to the number two issue and make immigration like the number one issue some very close to Senator sessions I think he's done a terrific job in some areas particularly in immigration in other areas I am one of the people that are very disappointed about how he's comport himself in other areas particularly this thing with the the subpoenas in crossfire hurricane I think that these things ought to be a she waited I'm also coming to look and be people that that drove a Clinton cash was you know it was my organization at the time that came out with the book and then came out with a movie later I think that the Clintons I think the Clinton is a particularly uranium one and other aspects of it should it be investigated so I think I think senator sessions in that regard has been has been very missed now I though a totally agree I think it was appropriate and I know there many people disagree with me including the president that he should have recused himself from any direct involvement in this investigation in fact I think to my belief Rudy Giuliani chris Christie and Jeff Sessions those three who were quite prominent on the campaign all of them would have had to recuse himself even for grant sleaze committee kind of vote I was I think was right not and I think was practical I'm not so sure senator Grassley's committee would have even voted him out to go to the floor for a full vote as attorney general if they had not recuse themselves for aspects of the investigation sorry I think they're aspects of the Justice Department I think the senator sessions had been a big letdown and I'm a light down but he's Donald Trump wrong to continually attack him and say he's not I think it's the president's president selected him he's the Attorney General that the president selected that's the president spraga t'v but I don't totally agree but that's the president's part if I can stand given everything else the president's got going on in the Middle East with Korea I can understand how this gets under his skin sometimes and it's been a big you know it's been a big issue for of him from the beginning I think Senator sessions could have done a much better job in certain areas I'm very disappointed in sessions in Rosenstein about failing to to put forward what the information they want in these subpoenas and I agree with David Rifkin I think of Baker hot stellar he wrote this big piece in The Wall Street Journal a couple of months ago called the fruits of the poisonous tree I mean he actually argued when the crossfire hurricane subpoenas are effectuating we see that information you almost have to adjudicate that before you continue on with parts of the Moller investigation so I think that this whole thing has got to be really drilled down on it I think sessions in that regard has done it done a very poor job and I'm as I think of one of his biggest advocates when you said the Trump Tower meeting with the Russians was treasonous and you said you meant Paul Manafort yeah what about it made it treason you I just didn't look I think for a professional like Paul Manafort I don't think you ever have you know forget it just you know people from other countries Russians or whatever come in and try to get opposition research is there's enough for opposition research out there look Clinton cash to me did all the opposition research you had to do you just had to get down there and drill down on it and as we did when I took over the campaign on that Monday or when I was CEO of the campaign with Kelly Anna's campaign manager on that Monday the first day we kind of took over we put out a I think a statement from then candidate Trump it was about Paul Manafort when Manafort was I think getting ready to resign and we've referenced Clinton cash and her corruption in Clinton cash so you're by your standard it's that knowledge of the foreign offer of help well no I don't know the foreign offer help I think it's even just trying to do something like that I think is trying to do something like that so if Donald Trump knew about that then he was in on treasonous behavior in your standard no and I'm it's hasn't been proven that he knew anything about it we don't know anything know anything about it he's not he's denied nor anything you said that zero chance Don junior didn't tell him and Michael Cohen reportedly says Trump knew about it well you have to take Michael Khan for Michael Cohen right you're just kind of to take you know you don't know what Michael Cohen's doing with federal authorities what deals he's cutting what he's trying to do with if art if a camera knows about that in advance then are they part of treasonous behavior by your standard I think if you have to call into question if somebody's actually out there trying to get information from foreign parties you have to you have to question that yeah so if Muller could prove that about Donald Trump that would concern you it would it would definitely concern me yes but the president's been pretty adamant that he didn't know about it and hasn't heard about it Charlottesville yep was the president wrong to say there was blame on both sides no he's absolutely correct listen the whole discussion what the president was saying and go back and look at those statements he made if you look at it what he's saying is that the the discussion about the Confederate monuments where the Confederate monuments should be covered whether the Confederate monuments should be removed or where the Confederate monuments of these generals are part of southern heritage there are people on both sides and that's a First Amendment right to debate that in two Marcin then to protest that and that's what he's trying to set you said well Utah said let's take away hang on and if you said he says where is it all in if you talk about the neo-nazis and the neo Confederates and the KKK and and Tifa I think the president has been adamant in saying that though both of those parties are wrong both those party shouldn't be allowed to come there and start to cause havoc and that authorities ought to shut that down the president I think was very what the president said let's go to the words quote I think there's blame on both sides you had a group on one side that was bad and you had a group on the other side that was also very violent nobody wants to say it but I will say it right now it was the organizers of the rally that talked about anti-black prejudice that chanted anti-semitic slogans and there's as you know a second-degree murder charge for Heather for the Heather hires death he's right and absolutely adamant about this I'm saying when you talk about the Confederate monuments and you talk about whether they should stay or not or be covered or not the president saying there's good people on both sides okay when you talk about the people that come there for violence he's condemned those people he condemned the New York Confederates he condemned the neo-nazis you condemn the KKK he also condemned an T fo and if you look at Cuomo the other night the problem with the left no problem with the mainstream media you give antifa a complete free pass they are just as violent as the New York Confederates are just as violent as the as these KKK guys and they have to be condemned and that's what you've seen the Von's come from I've actually advocated even a situation like Charlottesville they don't to me they shouldn't have the right to kind of March because they come looking for a fight they come and to do violence and what you're seeing is a true not just a tremendous cost but you're also seeing violence and so and I think the president and I think this word is being smeared I think he's been very I think I don't think he could be more adamant about that and look at this March that happened the other day when I got nine guys showed up late if the mainstream media they journalist mark marginal people these marginal guys a platform and make them bigger than let's finish on Charlottesville and we could talk about anything you want to bring up on chocolate sundae what Charles VII was the anniversary anniversary right I'm referring the original time there was this killing and there was not a killing on both sides it was a killing as you know on one side let me read another quote to you this is from David Duke let me finish nobody ever said let me finish David Duke and all this more I'm gonna respond I had a guy read what he said for your stop hang over second hang or a second just because you've got these marginal cranks that come out and want to latch on to Donald Trump doesn't explain the entire thing this is what you guys are not sorry you know this the president I states could not have been more adamant in condemning these people I mean it's outweighed results outrageous that you take these marginal groups these neo Confederates and KKK guys because they come out and say something about Donald Trump them the media blows it up as like oh they're there the wingman for Trump nothing can be fond of giving you the opportunity to respond that what David Duke said was that Charlottesville was quote a turning point for the people of this country determined to take our country back and fulfill the promises of Donald Trump he said he's going to take our country back end quote is that that's a thought this is all nonsense David Duke is a hater he has no no no position in this movement Donald Trump is one the the best guys I've ever seen he's done more for the african-american community as far as economic nationalism goes I mean look at the unemployment rate look what look what his policies are this is a guy that wants all Americans remember on the night we won Stephen Mel and I drafted a speech a victory speech that was a throwdown it was Trump that came in and said hey I want to de-escalate tonight let's try to bring the country together let's try to brew we've had a very tough campaign it's very been very is let's take the acrimony down no Miller and I were ready to go let's throw down and march on Washington it was Donald Trump and his wisdom said hey guys let's deescalate let's try to bring the country together so he got cranks like this to come out and try to latch on to Donald Trump in the movement you're not going to stop this populist movement you're not going to stop this economic nationalist movement by continually referring to these cranks sunday showed what nine guys show up there's what 500 media a couple thousand cops these guys are cranks nobody takes them seriously except to me it's MSNBC's camera and CNN's camera gives them a platform if you didn't pay attention to him they were I'm ready to move on but when I say that about the press are you suggesting we shouldn't cover this killing and the second degree murder try and say that come on I didn't say that the guy should be tried for murder Rustom degree murder not second-degree murder okay guys like that are bad guys and there's just as many bad guys on the other side the antifa movement is very violent somebody said the other day in this trailer I did for my spot oh my gosh where'd you get this stuff from I said it's from Trump rallies these are just 12 people that have been beaten up you have violence on both sides it has no place in America and as long as we keep giving these guys platforms okay they're just gonna think they're bigger and bigger and bigger this stuff could be shut down to be shut down very easily I think local authorities particularly when you have neo-nazis and neo Confederates with these anti Fugazi looking for a fight there's no reason the crown jewels of the world should accommodate that peaceful protests and this protest about the Confederate monuments I come from the south you know I'm from Richmond and it's a hot issue down there and in one way the other through politics and through the ballot box is gonna be it's gonna be resolved and that's the way America is you know I've got one opinion other people have other opinion it's one of the reasons I don't agree with but I respect the energy of the time's up movement I respect the energy of the resistance and I respect the energy of even what Tom Steyer is doing I saw that energy in 2010 in the Tea Party movement and so what I think is that is that is that that thing will be resolved it'll be resolved by who wins elections and this is why I'm so pumped up for November sex because I think as Donald Trump continues to focus on the the November 6 election that you're going to see this as an up or down vote as we get closer and you're not going to see a blue wave I think that you're going to see the left of the Democratic Party are going to sit there and turn what they're going to do you're finally going to have the internecine civil war inside the Democratic Party has been put off you know we've been at this the populist in the Republican Party been at this for nine ten years okay some days we win against the establishment and more often we lose but we continue to try to make progress I think in the Democratic Party it's been suppressed and I think as we get closer to November 6 and you do not see a blue wave I think it's gonna become quite evident on the last thing or sit there and go hey this Wall Street ownership of the Democratic you know this pillow fight that we've been having against the Democratic establishment it's got to stop and I think you're going to see a complete civil war in the Democratic Party is going to clear the path for Donald Trump in 2020 turning to immigration what is the right level of immigration in your view when documented immigration is declining well I think I think I like what a non legal immigration I like the raise act I think what the raise Act talks about I think is 500,000 is is a good number but I think that can it be adjusted with the economy over time right now what I would like to see with the you know stopping of what I would like to see there's a stopping of h-1b visas until we start getting better employment by the minority communities in Silicon Valley and in these tech jobs I think we ought to still consider stopping h-1b visas I think the future of the country and technology is to make sure that we've got people coming from the inner cities remember we've changed the entire education system over to stem science technology engineering and math and yet we still don't have enough minorities in engineering schools I went to a land-grant university basically engineering school for jigna attack and I would love to see more minorities in the engineering schools and I would love to see more minorities in Silicon Valley I think one of the ways to do that is not to open up competition to our American citizens to the world I think I think I think we've got to be very careful about starting to nurture right our citizenship here and particularly in technology jobs so that's what I think we've got to be very careful about all immigrations the illegal immigration is nothing more than to try to suppress the wages of working class blacks and Hispanics so when you say that and then you look at the statistics that say a majority of billion-dollar capitalized tech companies in this country have at least one foreign founder what about losing that and losing those jobs well first off I think I'm not a big proponent I think for the world to be a better place and to start to have better economies throughout the world this whole thing that we've got to take the best and the brightest from everywhere and it's got to come the United States and be educated here and stay here I would hope that that would hope people would come here be educated the United States and then go back to their countries and form the companies there so look I think it's it's very helpful on one side but I think if you opportunities and we have more blacks and Hispanics in engineering schools you must see more in blacks and Hispanics as these tech innovators and end times going forward that's what I think is very important I mean I think we have to nurture American citizen remember economic nationalism doesn't care about your race your color your ethnicity your gender your sexual preference what he cares about is you're a citizen of the United States as one of the reasons in this group I found it I said one of the things that I think really hurt the country back in the 80s came at the business school is this whole thing of maximization of shareholder value and I like the fact that Elizabeth Warren kind of ripped me off and using that the other day when she laid out do you think you guys agree on that we definitely agree on that all the things Nate Dunn I think I think there was a radical theory that came out of the business schools and went to Wall Street that everything had to come back to the equity holders is maximization Sheryl value was this mantra I think it was very destructive and not thinking about the different stakeholders in modern capitalism and I think that's got to be changed what I'm saying in our group is that we're trying to maximize your citizenship value part of that is to make sure that you don't have to have unfair competition remember illegal immigration immigration and trade are two sides of the same coin that's what we talked about here with sessions in Miller back in 2013 trade is just allowing unfair competition by foreign labor against our own libro manufacturing illegal immigration is just allowing that too that labor to come here is all about the suppression of wages what do you h b-1 visas the same thing all Silicon Valley wants is higher margin and that's talking about skilled labor when you go to what is called unskilled labor as you know a lot of this is not direct competition that the most common job for a native-born American without a diploma is a cashier and it's the least common job for documented immigrants so what do you say to people who think that you are building a fear about jobs being taken that is not supported by that by the way in construction oilfield services in agriculture okay this is where you're starting to see wages rise finally you've got it we've got to restrict illegal immigration or you're just going to have unfair competition in Hispanic and black working class if somebody says you have to have this minimum wage I'm saying hey if we restrict the labor pool okay wages will rise I'm all for higher wages and I think it could come I think Trump program is to do that so I categorically reject that people that and that's one of the reasons on left wing populism you're never really going to be able to kind of get your hand on the throttle until you deal with this issue of immigration you have to deal with them it's the globalists that want to have American citizens compete with the world both in our borders and outside all I'm saying is unfair competition and so I think on an illegal immigration a labor is that if you restrict illegal immigration labor coming in here you're going to have a rise in wages and that's why I start I think you're starting to see that right now finally someone who held a similar job to you Paul Manafort is awaiting a verdict any views on him and as we conclude your views of how you're going to evaluate your performance in the midterms and beyond Manta Ford's look they took a you know obviously his attorneys really thought through this idea of not putting on a defense and so I think they'll let the chips fall oh they where they might I'd really haven't followed the case but I would a pine that if defense attorneys to decided not to put in a case they really didn't think the government made a very compelling case I think we're going to judge it whether Donald Trump what we keep the house or not I mean I'm all in Donald Trump's a winner I mean Donald Trump is a closer that's one of the things in when when I first kind of the campaign Hillary Clinton it wouldn't really never closed the main deal and Donald Trump said closer he closed the primaries he closed the presidency and I think when everybody's totally focused on the stakes here on November 6 that that Donald Trump will closed and I think everybody's going to be held accountable of whether we hold the House of Representatives or not I mean it's one of the reasons that it's look it's it's a risky venture but I feel it has to be done I'm a big believer in the Trump program big believer in the President and I think it really behooves everybody to hold the House of Representatives so I'll have to say Steve Bannon thank you for your time thanks for coming by and I apologize got a little hot today here in the 100 degrees outside it's hot in this building thank you good sir Thanks

Channel: MSNBC

Views: 1,466,618

Keywords: The Beat with Ari Melber, Chief Legal Correspondent, Night news, Ari Melber, Presumed Guilty, Rules of Engagement, MSNBC, news channel, news station, newspaper, breaking news, us news, world news, politics, current events, top stories, pop culture, business, health, liberal, progressive, cable, cable news, Steve Bannon, Steve Bannon exclusive interview, Steve Bannon and Trump, Steve Bannon news, Steve Bannon Ari Melber, midterm elections, impeachment, Russia, Steve Bannon Warns Gop

Id: oNiE0YIx5w0

Length: 54min 49sec (3289 seconds)

Published: Sat Aug 18 2018