This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42597764

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Fire and Fury: Trump allies dismiss 'fantasy book' Steve Bannon says 'treason' remark not directed at Trump Jr
(about 2 hours later)
Senior Trump administration officials have rallied around the president following the release of a book that raised doubts over his mental health. Steve Bannon, Donald Trump's former chief strategist, has tried to reverse remarks in which he called the president's son Donald Jr "treasonous".
Michael Wolff's book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House paints a damaging portrait of the US president. The accusation appears in Michael Wolff's new book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.
But CIA chief Mike Pompeo told Fox News Sunday the portrayal was "pure fantasy" and policy adviser Stephen Miller told CNN Mr Trump was a "political genius". He was referring to a meeting in June 2016 between Mr Trump's son and a group of Russians.
Donald Trump too has continued to fight back against the book. But on Sunday Mr Bannon said the barb was directed at former aide Paul Manafort, who was also present.
President Reagan also faced questions over his mental health while in office, although some observers saw the comparison as unhelpful given he was later diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The Senate, House of Representatives and a special counsel are all investigating alleged Russian interference in the presidential election, allegations denied by both the Kremlin and Donald Trump.
The book has sparked a public rift between Mr Trump and his former strategist Steve Bannon, who is quoted as accusing Mr Trump's eldest son Donald Jr of "treasonous" behaviour in meeting a group of Russians. Bannon regrets waiting to say something
But Mr Bannon appears to be trying to make amends. In a statement published by Axios website, he calls Donald Jr "a patriot and a good man" and says his support for the president is "unwavering". In a statement first reported by news site Axios, Steve Bannon called Donald Jr "both a patriot and a good man".
White House aides spring to Mr Trump's defence "My comments were aimed at Paul Manafort, a seasoned campaign professional with experience and knowledge of how the Russians operate," he said. "He should have known they are duplicitous, cunning and not our friends. To reiterate, those comments were not aimed at Don Jr."
Speaking to Fox News, Mr Pompeo said allegations about the US president's lack of competence were "absurd, just pure fantasy". The original remark, published in Mr Wolff's book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, and not disputed by Mr Bannon, appeared to take aim at all three Trump campaign officials in the room, including Donald Jr.
While the book suggests Mr Trump lacks intellectual curiosity, Mr Pompeo said: "The president is engaged, he understands the complexity, he asks really difficult questions of our team at the CIA." It read: "The three senior guys in the campaign thought it was a good idea to meet with a foreign government inside Trump Tower in the conference room on the 25th floor - with no lawyers. They didn't have any lawyers.
Mr Miller attacked Michael Wolff as "a garbage author of a garbage book". "Even if you thought that this was not treasonous, or unpatriotic, or bad shit, and I happen to think it's all of that, you should have called the FBI immediately."
He also tore into former White House aide Mr Bannon, describing him as "out of touch with reality". Mr Bannon's attempt to clarify follows repeated denunciations by Mr Trump, who dubbed him "Sloppy Steve" and said his former aide "cried when he got fired".
The strained encounter on CNN ended with the anchor Jake Tapper cutting off Mr Miller, accusing him of being "obsequious". It also follows the loss of the main financial backer of his conservative Breitbart website, heiress Rebekah Mercer, who said in a rare public statement that she had cut off Mr Bannon from funding following his remarks to Mr Wolff.
Meanwhile UK Prime Minister Theresa May has dismissed concerns about Mr Trump's mental health, saying she saw someone "who is committed to ensuring that he is taking decisions in the best interests of the United States". Mr Bannon went on in his statement to say he regretted waiting five days to say something, and called Mr Wolff's reporting "inaccurate".
The book that's caused a political storm The book everyone's talking about
Fire and Fury went on sale early on Friday, days ahead of its scheduled release and despite the president's lawyers' attempts to block its publication. It has become an instant bestseller. Fire and Fury rocketed to the top of the Amazon bestseller list upon publication last week and became the talk of Washington DC and beyond.
The book describes a Trump team shocked by their own win on election night, White House staffers saying Mr Trump's "mental powers were slipping", and senior administration officials calling Mr Trump an "idiot". Based on first-hand reporting at the White House and, according to the author, more than 200 interviews with top administration figures and others, it portrays the president as impatient, unable to focus and with no interest in reading or attempting to understand policy.
On Saturday, President Trump disputed the book's account, describing himself as "a very stable genius". It also raised doubts over his mental fitness for office, quoting senior officials who allegedly called the president "mentally unfit", and "idiot", and "like a child". Mr Trump responded by tweeting that he was a "very stable genius" who was "like, very smart".
Fire and Fury is reportedly based on more than 200 interviews and fly-on-the-wall access to the White House. Senior Trump administration officials rallied around the president over the weekend, attempting to mitigate the fallout from the book. CIA chief Mike Pompeo told Fox News Sunday the portrayal was "pure fantasy".
Its author told NBC's Meet the Press he spoke with the president directly several times, but said that Mr Trump might not have been aware they were interviews. He said: "The president is engaged, he understands the complexity, he asks really difficult questions of our team at the CIA."
Policy adviser Stephen Miller told CNN Mr Trump was a "political genius" and branded Mr Wolff "a garbage author of a garbage book".