After 10 days, Anthony Scaramucci out as White House Communications Director
President Donald Trump terminated Anthony Scaramucci as the White House Communications Director on July 31. “The Mooch” as Scaramucci has affectionately been referred to by the media and late night talk show hosts, served as Trump’s communications director for only 10 days. According to Politico, Trump’s new chief of staff, retired Marine General John Kelly, made the request to Trump to let Scaramucci go as part of Kelly’s plan to bring order and some semblance of discipline to the White House. Politico quoted a White House aide as saying that “Kelly is already changing the culture here.”
According to The New York Times, “Mr. Kelly made clear to members of the White House staff at a meeting Monday morning that he is in charge.” Less than one week into his job as the communications director, Scaramucci came under fire for a profanity-laced telephone conversation he had with a reporter from The New Yorker. He was further criticized for not knowing enough to tell that reporter that his comments should have been off the record. Scaramucci went after then chief of staff Reince Priebus during that interview. Direct quotes from Scaramucci’s interview with The New Yorker shared by CNN include: “Reince is a f—ing paranoid schizophrenic, a paranoiac,” he said, mimicking Priebus when he added, ”’Let me leak the f—ing thing and see if I can c–k block these people the way I c–k blocked Scaramucci for six months.'”
CNN reported today that Kelly wanted Scaramucci gone because the new chief of staff felt that he lacked discipline and lost credibility following his tirade with The New Yorker. Sarah Huckabee Sanders who replaced Sean Spicer as White House Press Secretary, told reporters today that President Trump also felt that Scaramucci’s comments to The New Yorker were inappropriate. “The President certainly felt that Anthony’s comments were inappropriate for someone in that position and he didn’t want to burden Gen. Kelly also with that line of succession,” she said during the White House news briefing according to CNN. Also according to Sanders, everyone in the White House will now be reporting directly to Kelly. Per CNN:
“Gen. Kelly has the full authority to operate within the White House, and all staff will report to him,” she said. When pressed further whether staffers including Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump and Steve Bannon will all report to Kelly, Sanders said: “That includes everybody at the White House.”
It’s been a busy few weeks for White House chief staff turn-overs. Former White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus resigned last week; and Sean Spicer resigned as the White House Press Secretary on July 21.
Written by: Ace News Today Staff
