DOJ files reveal Steve Bannon's collaboration with Jeffrey Epstein to target Pope Francis

New documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice and reported by CNN reveal communications between Steve Bannon and Jeffrey Epstein. The exchanges, dating back to June 2019, detail Bannon's efforts to remove Pope Francis from office. Bannon, a former White House advisor to Donald Trump, viewed the Pope as a significant opponent of nationalist and populist movements in Europe. In one message, Bannon wrote to Epstein stating they would "take down" the Pope, along with the Clintons, Xi Jinping, and the European Union. Epstein allegedly assisted Bannon by helping to cultivate supporters for his political initiatives during 2018 and 2019. Bannon had previously expressed strong criticism of Pope Francis, describing him as "loathsome" in a 2018 interview with The Spectator. These revelations provide further context on Epstein's involvement with high-profile political figures following his conviction for sex crimes.