Top strategist Stephen Bannon was "undermining" President Donald Trump and had to leave because "the White House could not function with him there," according to Rep. Peter King.
In an interview with radio host John Catsimatidis aired Sunday on "The Cats Roundtable," the New York Republican said Bannon was part of the "internal skirmishing and fighting" that had to end.
"The White House has just not been functioning. There's been leaks coming out, one faction is undermining another," King said.
'"The president brought in John Kelly to be his chief of staff. General Kelly is a four-star general in the Marines. He was the secretary of Homeland Security. He's one of the most honest, intelligent, decent people I have ever met. For him to do the job as chief of staff, he had to eliminate all of that internal skirmishing and fighting.
"Unfortunately, Steve Bannon had become a part of the problem."
Bannon’s departure Friday was agreed on mutually with Kelly, in the wake of a contentious interview with liberal "The American Prospect."
"He was publicly disagreeing with the president's policy on North Korea," King said of the interview. "And this was the policy of President Trump, [Defense] Secretary [James] Mattis, Secretary [of State Rex] Tillerson, and the chairman of the national security council Gen. [H.R.] McMaster. For him to go public and basically tell North Korea that we have no military option against them, that was undermining the president of the United States."
"The White House could not function with him there," King Added.
Bannon has returned to Breitbart as the conservative publication's executive chairman, declaring to The Weekly Standard, "We still have a huge movement, and we will make something of this Trump presidency. But that presidency is over."
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