Protesters gather to oppose Steve Bannon's position in President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet

Thursday, November 17, 2016
Protesters gather to oppose Steve Bannon being named chief strategist
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in downtown Los Angeles asking President-elect Donald Trump to fire Steve Bannon.

LOS ANGELES -- Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in downtown Los Angeles asking President-elect Donald Trump to fire Steve Bannon Wednesday night.

"He's all about hatred. He's all about racism. He's all about prejudice," protester David Kukoff said.

Trump named Bannon as his chief strategist, a role with equal power to the White House chief of staff. Bannon is part of the so-called Alt-Right, a conservative movement accused of supporting a white nationalist agenda.

"I'm scared for our country. I'm scared for all of the minorities," protester Deidre Gorospe said.

Until recently, Bannon ran Brietbart.com, a website featuring headlines that include "birth control makes women unattractive and crazy" and "gay rights have made us dumber." In addition to those headlines, the site called a conservative columnist a "renegade Jew."

Trump's team calls Bannon a "brilliant tactician." He is a former Navy officer and former investment officer. He invested early in "Seinfeld," earning extraordinary wealth, and he has a home on the west side of Los Angeles.

In court documents from 1996, Bannon was charged with domestic abuse but the charges were dismissed. His ex-wife later accused him of anti-Semitism - charges he strongly denies.

More than 100 Congressional Democrats are asking the president-elect to fire Bannon. Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell isn't exactly offering effusive praise for Bannon. During an interview, McConnell avoided answering any questions about the situation.

Trump is still backing Bannon and he does not need Congressional approval for his appointment.