Bannon: ‘Access Hollywood’ Trump Tape Was a ‘Litmus Test’
He said Gov. Chris Christie’s reaction cost him a job in the administration.

Joshua Roberts / Reuters
In another interview segment from former White House strategist Steve Bannon’s conversation with Charlie Rose for 60 Minutes, Bannon discusses the weekend after the infamous Access Hollywood tape leaked in which President Trump bragged about groping women. “The Billy Bush Saturday to me is a litmus test. It’s a litmus test.” And it’s one Bannon claims that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie didn’t pass, which ended up costing him a job in the administration. “I gotta—I gotta—you know, I’m Irish,” Bannon said when asked if he took names that day of people who didn’t side with Trump. “I gotta get my black book and I got ’em.… Christie, because of Billy Bush weekend—and—was... was... not looked at for a Cabinet position.” He also claimed that former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said in response to the tape that Trump had “two choices. You either drop out right now, or you lose by the biggest landslide in American political history.” Brian Murray, spokesman for Gov. Christie told The Daily Beast: “As has been widely reported, the governor had been offered multiple Cabinet positions in addition to other senior posts in the White House and elsewhere. He chose to stay as governor and complete his term. Any assertion to the contrary is simply factually incorrect.”
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.