Correction of the Year

From a Politico report by Eliana Johnson on the rupture of Donald Trump’s relationship with his former campaign chairman and his preferred pick for original chief of staff, Steve Bannon:

Since then, however, most of the fights that Bannon has engaged in have pitted him against the Trump White House. Though he has cast himself as the ultimate loyalist — an indispensable translator of the political sentiments of the Trump base — it became increasingly clear, in recent months, that he and the president had different interests and that Bannon would, when necessary, work to thwart the president, and vice versa.

Back at the helm of Breitbart News, for example, he endorsed Roy Moore in the Alabama Senate primary while the president backed appointed incumbent Sen. Luther Strange. He blamed the president’s decision on lobbying efforts by Kushner, whom he privately referred to as “Fredo,” the traitorous brother of The Godfather.

Josh Rogin:

FUNNY CORRECTION: An earlier version of the story misidentified the fictional character name Bannon uses to refer to Jared Kushner as Frodo, a “Lord of the Rings” reference, rather than Fredo, a reference to “The Godfather.”

It’s hard to overstate the gaping chasm between Frodo — a noble, heroic figure — and Fredo Corleone. Describing Fredo merely as “traitorous” is euphemistic — Fredo was weak, ineffective, oblivious, and stupid, too.

★ Thursday, 4 January 2018