Just 11 days after President Donald Trump appointed him, White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci is out of that job, the latest in a string of pell-mell staff shake-ups.
“Mr. Scaramucci felt it was best to give chief of staff John Kelly a clean slate,” @PressSec says.
Early indications Monday afternoon were that retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, Trump’s brand new chief of staff, did not like the way Scaramucci operates.
Kelly himself was named only Friday to replace Reince Priebus as chief of staff.
And the prior Friday, the White House announced the ouster of press secretary Sean Spicer and the appointments of Scaramucci as communications director and Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who had been deputy press secretary, to replace Spicer as press secretary.
In a statement released shortly after the news broke Monday, Sanders said:
Anthony Scaramucci will be leaving his role as White House communications director. 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.
Sanders also had used the phrase “clean slate” to characterize Spicer’s resignation. At the time, Spicer committed to working in the White House through August.
Kelly, previously secretary of homeland security, was brought in to fix what was seemingly a chaotic White House.
Last week, hours before the announcement of the chief of staff change, Scaramucci harshly criticized both Priebus and top presidential aide Steve Bannon in foul language while talking to a New Yorker reporter, who published his words. He also appeared to brag about his plans to fire multiple employees of the communications shop.
“The president certainly felt that Anthony’s comments were inappropriate for a person in that position and he didn’t want to burden Gen. Kelly with that line of succession,” Sanders told reporters during the press briefing Monday. “Gen. Kelly has full authority to operate in the White House, all staff will report to him.”
Sanders said at this time, Scaramucci, previously spokesman for the U.S. Export-Import Bank, does not have another position in the administration.
