Former White House strategist Steve Bannon now says his scandalous "treason" comments were not directly aimed at Donald Trump Jnr.
Mr Bannon still stands by the remarks, but claims they were directed at then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort and not Donald Trump Jnr, whom he calls a "patriot and a good man".
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The head of Breitbart news had an extremely public break with the White House last week, when he reportedly called meetings between Trump Jnr, Manafort and Russian officials 'treasonous and unpatriotic".
According to The Guardian, Mr Bannon said in a statement: "My comments were aimed at Paul Manafort, a seasoned campaign professional with experience and knowledge of how the Russians operate.
"He should have known they are duplicitous, cunning and not our friends. To reiterate, those comments were not aimed at Don Jr."
He also allegedly made several other comments, including calling Ivanka Trump "dumb as a brick".
Mr Bannon's comments were just a portion of the incendiary contents of recently published book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, which paints a scathing picture of the Trump administration, based on many first-hand accounts and interviews.
President Donald Trump has publicly lashed out at Steve Bannon over the comments, calling him "sloppy Steve" and saying that he "cried when he got fired and begged for his job".
Mr Trump has also denied all of the book's claims, including the claim he retreats to his room at 6:30pm each day to eat cheeseburgers and watch TV.
By contrast, Mr Bannon now seems to be striking a more conciliatory tone with the President, saying: "There was no collusion and the investigation is a witch hunt.
"I regret that my delay in responding to the inaccurate reporting regarding Don Jr has diverted attention from the President's historical accomplishments in the first year of his presidency."
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