WASHINGTON - House Democrats have sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump asking him to rescind the appointment of Breitbart News executive Steve Bannon as a senior White House adviser.

The letter, which has signatures from 169 out of the 188 Democrats in the House, says the appointment of conservative flame-thrower Bannon undermines Trump's ability to unite the country. It points out stories from the website that are derogatory toward Jews and Muslims, among other groups.

"Millions of Americans have expressed fear and concern about how they will be treated by the Trump Administration and your appointment of Mr. Bannon only exacerbates and validates their concerns," the letter reads.

Rep. David N. Cicilline, D-R.I, organized the effort. "Bigotry, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia should have no place in our society," he said.