On CNN Friday, correspondent Tom Foreman broke down the ideology of former Trump adviser Steve Bannon that led him to defy congressional subpoenas, for which he is now under federal indictment.
"Promoting the Big Lie of election fraud fits Bannon's longstanding affection for radical right-wing theories, and his apparent appetite for conflict," said Foreman. "Take his fascination with the book 'The Fourth Turning,' which argues every 80 years or so, cataclysmic upheavals are necessary to political and social realignment. Bannon was so taken with the idea, he made a movie about it. Savaging liberals, blasting traditional government, and as one film critic put it, pushing a clear message."
"Bring on the apocalypse," said film critic Ann Hornaday. "There is an almost, um, fetishistic desire to see everything blow up. It's almost like he's inviting a cleansing fire to — to just raze the edifice, raze the institutions. I think it's that dramatic."
All of this, noted Foreman, ties into claims by Bannon's allies, often stated on his podcast, that the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was fomented by "antifa" agitators.
"There are no facts to back that up, but listen to Bannon's podcast, watch his interviews, and you will see that he has very little use for facts, unless they back this notion that America as we know it must end, so America as he would have it can begin."
Watch below:
Tom Foreman on Steve Bannon's ideologywww.youtube.com
