Today, U.S. Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) issued the following statement on President-elect Donald Trump’s appointment of noted white nationalist and anti-Semite Stephen Bannon to a senior White House position:

“Last Thursday, I issued a statement expressing my shock at the results of the presidential election and laying out my approach to service under President-elect Trump. President Obama and others have said that we should wait to see what kind of President Mr. Trump would be, and I said last week that if President-elect Trump wants to work together on middle-class priorities like infrastructure investment and tax reform, I would continue my bipartisan approach and work with him. But I stand by my promise that if President-elect Trump tries to put his hateful, reckless rhetoric into action I will fight like hell to stop him.

“Stephen Bannon has made a name by fueling and monetizing hate – he has no place in the halls of power. By bringing a white nationalist and professional anti-Semite into the White House, President-elect Trump is acting on his campaign rhetoric and realizing many of our fears about the direction he intends to take our country. I condemn this appointment in the strongest possible terms.

“I have had an open mind to President-elect Trump’s agenda – he has unquestionably failed his first test.”

Rep. Peters joined more than 120 fellow House Democrats on a letter to President-elect Trump urging him to rescind Bannon’s appointment.