The feud between President Trump and his ex-svengali Steve Bannon could see another courtroom escalation after a new hint that Bannon may sue for defamation.
The possible legal move comes after a Trump attorney fired off a cease-and-desist letter demanding Bannon cease disparaging comments about Trump, in possible violation of a non-disclosure agreement.
High-profile defense lawyer Mark Geragos floated the idea in an appearance on CNN, asked if Bannon might make a defamation case.
‘I have it on pretty good authority that he’s considering that,’ Geragos said, immediately referencing a Trump statement from Wednesday saying Bannon had ‘lost his mind.’
Mercer was put off by statements Bannon reportedly made to donors saying she would back him if he ran for president in 2020
‘No kidding?’ the CNN show’s host, Brooke Baldwin responded.
‘Yeah, so when you say somebody has lost their mind or implied they didn’t do this or that – that also could be potentially a defamation action, where Bannon has the ability to do it,’ Geragos said. ‘It’s got about as much merit, if not more, than the things that they are claiming that Bannon has to cease and desist about.’
The threat came amid signs that Bannon could get ousted from his Breitbart News site.
The Wall Street Journal reported staffers there were wondering whether Bannon would last the day. The paper reported that board members were debating whether to remove Bannon as chairman, according to a person familia with the exchanges.
The discord followed earlier reports that Bannon supporter and Breitbart part-owner Rebekah Mercer was backing away from Bannon projects.
Bannon, who unleashed stunning attacks on Trump and members of the Trump family in excerpts from a new book by Michael Wolff, has relied on Mercer as a prime supporter of his projects over the years.
She will not support further Bannon projects, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.
The paper reports that she was irked by his support of Roy Moore in the Alabama Senate race, a contest that pitted Bannon against much of the GOP establishment.
Rebekah Mercer has reportedly said she will no longer support Steve Bannon projects in the future
A person familiar with a conversation between them told the paper that Mercer was alienated when he told other donors he could count on Mercer money to support him if he ran for president.
‘The core constituency for Breitbart is what you would call the Trump Deplorables. That’s the audience. And if they’re asked to choose between Steve and Trump, they’re going to choose Trump. That’s clear,’ the paper quoted a person familiar with the company’s ownership as saying.
Vanity Fair reported in December that Bannon told an advisor in October he would consider running if Trump didn’t seek reelection in 2020.
Last November, billionaire investor Robert Mercer announced he was selling his share of Breitbart to his daughters.
Mercer is an owner of Breitbart News
Bannon has another backer in Chinese billionaire Miles Kwok, according to the Drudge Report
Miles Kwok is a member of Mar-a-Lago
Miles Kwok posted at a Mar-a-Lago entrance
Miles Kwok posted numerous shots of Bannon on his Twitter feed
Matt Drudge tweeted about Bannon’s new billionaire backer
Not long after reports that Rebekah Mercer was pulling back, the Drudge Report posted a tweet by Matt Drudge picturing Bannon with Chinese billionaire, Guo Wen Gui, also known as Miles Kwok.
‘Steve Bannon finding opportunity and happiness in the arms of a new billionaire benefactor, Miles Kwok, aka Guo Wen Gui. Mercer is yesterday’s mashed potatoes..’ according to the tweet.
Kwok has been putting out information about powerful figures inside China in order to disrupt the Chinese Communist Party’s grip on the nation.
He also is a member of Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s private club in Palm Beach Florida.
President Trump dismissed Bannon in brief comments to the media Thursday, referencing a Bannon interview on Sirius radio.
‘I don’t know he called me a great man last night. He obviously changed his tune pretty quick,’ Trump said. ‘I don’t talk to him.’