Anthony Scaramucci has been removed as White House communications director at the request of White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, just days after being named to the job, according to two people with knowledge of the decision.
Scaramucci’s brief tenure in the role had been marked by turmoil as he feuded publicly with former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus. Scaramucci’s arrival at the White House prompted former press secretary Sean Spicer to resign in protest.
The abrupt decision signals that Kelly is moving quickly to assert control over the West Wing, which has been characterized by interpersonal disputes and power struggles during Trump’s six months in office.
The retired Marine general, who was sworn in Monday morning, was brought into the White House in the hope that he will bring military-style disciple to Trump’s staff. He has been fully empowered by the president to make significant changes to the organization, White House officials and outside advisers said.
Outgoing White House press secretary Spicer confirmed Scaramucci’s departure in a statement on Monday afternoon.
“Anthony Scaramucci will be leaving his role as White House Communications Director,” Spicer said. “Mr. Scaramucci felt it was best to give Chief of Staff John Kelly a clean slate and the ability to build his own team. We wish him all the best.”
Scaramucci was hired to the communications director role by Trump, over the objections of Priebus and other aides. Within days of arriving in the West Wing, Scaramucci publicly accused Priebus of leaking damaging information about him in the media and disparaged him in a profanity-laced interview with the New Yorker.
Priebus, who had long ago lost the confidence of the president, was replaced by Kelly days later.
People in the White House who supported Scaramucci’s hiring had viewed his presence in the West Wing, in part, as a tool to hasten the departure of Priebus, according to White House officials. His usefulness had declined significantly in their eyes once that goal was accomplished and in light of his rocky first week on the job.
Over the weekend, Kelly told associates that he was dismayed by Scaramucci’s interview and found it abhorrent and embarrassing for the president. Removing him from the communications post was not intended to be personal, but rather an effort to change the culture of the White House and to signal to staff that their comments always reflect on the president.
No other post in the White House has experienced as much upheaval as the communications director job. It was first given to Jason Miller, a Trump campaign aide who stepped down from the post during the transition before even being sworn in. It was then given to Republican operative Michael Dubke, who resigned in May. In the intervening weeks, Spicer had taken on those responsibilities in addition to his role as press secretary until Scaramucci was named to the position on July 21 over his objections.
The move comes as the White House is trying to make a hard pivot away from the turmoil last week and focus lawmakers and supporters on passing a tax cut package. Earlier Monday, three top White House officials – National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and legislative director Marc Short – each said they planned to press aggressively for the tax plan, which Trump sees as a centerpiece of his domestic agenda.
(c) 2017, The Washington Post · Abby Phillip, Damian Paletta
{Matzav.com}
Disposable, redefined.
the White House is ‘oif reider’
So basically, the mooch was a useful idiot for Donald Trump. He was brought in to get rid of Spicer and Preibus, and then HE himself was canned. Talk about a revolving door.
Not exactly. Trump brought in Mucci to find the leakers. Mucci at least did one good deed of exposing Preibus before he was thrown out. Spicer, though, resigned when Mucci was appointed. Now Spicer can come back.