Thanks to two selfies by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, we have confirmation that White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon really does have a whiteboard covered with goals for President Donald Trump‘s administration. The list even includes check marks, noting which goals the president has already met.
Boteach, a TV personality who refers to himself as “America’s Rabbi” on his website, posted several photos with Washington D.C. insiders on May 2 to mark Israel independence Day. The most fascinating photos were two with Bannon, both taken inside his office. Both photos show the whiteboard behind Bannon’s head.
With Steve Bannon and Debbie at the White House on #IsraelIndependenceDay2017. Thank u Steve for your love of Israel
In one, Boteach and Bannon pose with Boteach’s wife, while the other one just shows the two men smiling. “Steve is a great, stalwart friend of the Jewish State,” Botwach wrote.
With @SteveBannon in the White House on #israelindependenceday. Steve is a great, stalwart friend of the Jewish State
The existence of the whiteboard has been reported on in the past. In its report on Trump’s first 100 days, CNN’s The State reported that Bannon moved sofas and bookcases out of the office to make room for the giant whiteboard. While Bannon could put a red X next to pulling the U.S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, he didn’t have any X marks next to legislative goals.
On April 27, Politico even reported that Bannon and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, have “dueling” whiteboards. Kushner’s whiteboard lists deadlines for projects related to the Office of American Innovation, infrastructure and veteran’s affairs.
Some of the goals listed on Bannon’s whiteboard are visible in Boteach’s photos. It is split into columns of “pledges,” including one called “Pledges on Obamacare.” The others are pledges on tax reform, infrastructure and immigration. There are check marks next to “suspend the Syrian refugee program,” “end ‘catch-and-release,'” “hire 5,000 more Border Patrol Agents,” “triple the number of ICE [Immigration and Customs Agents]” and “Restore the Secure Communities program.”
The photos reveal two clear pledges related to specific laws. Bannon wants to propose the Davis-Oliver Bill, which would put the responsibility of holding undocumented immigrants in the hands of local authorities. It also appears that he wants Kate’s Law, which would jail illegal immigrants for five years if they re-enter the U.S. after already being deported once, passed by Congress.