Kansas Secretary of State and Republican gubernatorial candidate Kris Kobach has a side gig as a paid columnist for Breitbart News, the far-right news and commentary site run by former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon.
Kobach told the Kansas City Star that Breitbart approached him back in June when then-former Bannon still worked in the White House.
He made it clear he doesn’t consider this a conflict of interest. “I get paid for my columns … just like you’re paid,” Kobach told the Star.
His first column appeared on Breitbart earlier this summer with the headline, “Refugees and Terrorism: A Massive Vulnerability in Our Immigrations system.”
Other columns written by Kobach include headlines such as “Why States Need to Assist the Presidential Commission on Election Integrity” — a Trump commission on which Kobach serves as the operational head — and “It’s Time to Stop Sanctuary Cities and Counties.” He has written seven columns since joining Breitbart.
“I think Breitbart.com appeals to anyone who is Republican or conservative in any way,” Kobach told the Kansas City Star. “It appeals to a broad spectrum of conservative readers.”
Kobach, whose gubernatorial bid is based on a platform of combating illegal immigratio, also told the paper he has been on contact with Bannon since he left his White House gig in August.
“I’ve gotten to know Steve very well long since before he returned to Breitbart. I have been advising the president and the White House since he (Trump) was a candidate, so I got to know Steve Bannon before President Trump took office,” Kobach said.