(Washington, DC) — Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger issued the following statement today on president-elect Donald Trump’s appointment of Steve Bannon as his Chief Strategist:

“I am deeply troubled by President-elect Trump’s choice to appoint Steve Bannon as his Chief Strategist and Senior Counselor. Under Mr. Bannon’s leadership, Breitbart News has published offensive comments about women, the LGBTQ community and minorities including the Jewish community.

I always say, “you’re only as good as your team,” and I understand President-elect Trump’s desire to create a team of advisors he can trust. But Trump has pledged to bring this country together after a long and divisive campaign season. The appointment of Steve Bannon achieves the opposite, alienating and offending huge segments of our population.

As President Obama has said, if Trump succeeds, we all succeed. I am committed to working with the President-elect and finding common ground wherever we can – on strengthening our national security, rebuilding our infrastructure, and defeating ISIS, for examples. My record reflects my willingness to put politics aside for the good of our country and I wish my first statement since Trump’s election was one of support and encouragement, and not alarm.

That said, I am respectfully asking President-elect Trump to reconsider his choice of Steve Bannon as his chief strategist. If the President-elect truly wants to move our country forward, he needs to surround himself with people who believe our country is better off united, regardless of our differences.”