Top White House officials have been photographed with conservative author Dinesh D’Souza and his new book which argues that the Democratic Party practises tactics and methods that were promoted by fascist leaders like Hitler and Mussolini.
But, while the West Wing officials and Mr D’Souza are seen smiling with the book in hand, the author later deleted the pictures from his Twitter feed.
The staffers in question were Chief White House Strategist Steve Bannon, the former Breitbart News executive who is known for promoting nationalist, anti-globalist ideas. The other was Sebastian Gorka, a deputy assistant to the President who reportedly has ties to ultra-nationalist groups in Hungary that have been accused of anti-Semitism.
Mr D’Souza reportedly took the image down because it also showed Mr Bannon’s office white board, which is known to have strategy plans written out on it.
The new book is titled, “The Big Lie: Exposing the Nazi Roots of the American Left.” Promotional material for it reads, “The Democratic left has an ideology virtually identical with fascism and routinely borrows tactics of intimidation and political terror from the Nazi Brownshirts.”
Federal employees are barred by law from using their public offices to endorse a product that costs $20 or more, however the book does sell for less than that.
Larry Noble, a senior director and general counsel of the Campaign Legal Centre, told Talking Points Memo that the pictures raise “serious issues” about whether the two officials endorse the book, or if that was their intention in taking the pictures.
“Gorka and Bannon each posing for a picture in their office with D’Souza while holding his book raises a serious issues of whether they violated the ban,” Mr Noble said. “I think a reasonable person would assume that the picture would be used to publicly suggest endorsement of the book.”
This isn’t the first time a White House official has run into potential issues for endorsing a product. Earlier this year, White House Counsel Kellyanne Conway was “counselled” for promoting Ivanka Trump’s clothing line on national television in the White House briefing room.
