Steve Bannon is stepping down from his role as executive chairman at Breitbart News following a backlash for comments he made about President Trump’s campaign.
Breitbart News confirmed the resignation Tuesday.
Bannon’s exit comes just days after the release of an explosive new book in which Bannon is quoted as having questioned President Trump’s mental health.
RT reports: Bannon, former White House chief strategist under President Donald Trump, had recently come under fire from defenders of the president for comments made in a salacious tell-all book released this month.
In the book “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,” Bannon is quoted by author Michael Wolff as calling a 2016 meeting at Trump Tower between a Russian lawyer and Trump’s son and son-in-law “treasonous.”
Bannon has since apologized and walked back that statement, but not before Trump disavowed his former top adviser.
Last week, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked by the Wall Street Journal if Breitbart should distance itself from Bannon based on his quoted statements.
“I certainly think that it’s something that they should look at and consider,” she answered.
Breitbart CEO Larry Solov called Bannon, who had been executive chair since 2012, “a valued part of our legacy” on Tuesday.
“We will always be grateful for his contributions, and what he has helped us to accomplish,” he added.
Niamh Harris