White House press Secretary Sean Spicer resigned on Friday, ending a short and turbulent tenure that made him a household name and the butt of late-night television comedy lampoons, amid further upheaval within president Donald Trump's inner circle.
While not a surprise, Spicer's departure was abrupt and accompanied other changes in Trump's media and legal teams, as an investigation of possible ties between his campaign and Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election widened.
After six months in power and still without a major legislative win, Trump shuffled some of his closest staff, parting ways with Spicer after naming Anthony Scaramucci as the new White House communications director. Spicer had been communications director as well as press secretary following the resignation of Mike Dubke as director early last month.
Anthony Scaramucci, director of communications for the White House, speaks during a White House press briefing in Washington, DC, US on July 21, 2017. /VCG Photo
A Republican close to the White House told Reuters that Trump settled on Scaramucci, 53, a political supporter and former Goldman Sachs banker, for the head media job on Thursday and met with him on Friday morning to formally offer it to him.
A White House official briefed on what happened next said Spicer was told of Scaramucci's hiring and Trump urged Spicer to stay on. But Spicer, 45, said he did not want to stay on under the terms and conditions described to him and quit.
A source close to the White House said: “Basically Donald Trump likes Scaramucci on TV and saw the communications director job as a way to ... make him a top TV surrogate."
The source said Trump wanted Spicer to be press secretary and do much of the communications director's work as well, "with Scaramucci holding the ceremonial title with no responsibility. And that was the real challenge.”
White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, flanked by White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, takes questions at the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., US on July 21, 2017. /VCG Photo
At an early afternoon briefing, Scaramucci, in his debut before the White House press corps, named Sarah Sanders as the new press secretary. She had been Spicer's deputy.
Who is Anthony Scaramucci?
Known by insiders as "Mooch," the new communications director is a Harvard law School-educated Long Islander who founded a hedge fund after leaving Goldman, and sold it to join the Trump administration.
The well-groomed banker previously hosted a financial television show, Wall Street Week, on Fox Business.
In a news conference shortly after his appointment, Scaramucci addressed rumors of tension between himself and White House Chief of staff Reince Priebus, saying he considered him "a brother".
He said the pair had been "personal friends for six years" and that Priebus was involved in him joining as communications director.
Scaramucci, who claimed that he "loves" the president, also addressed an embarrassing 2015 moment where he branded Trump a "hack politician" on Fox Business.
After Trump criticized the hedge fund industry, the money man accused him of "anti-American" rhetoric and said he was on track to be president of "the Queens County Bullies' Association".
"The politicians don't want to go at Trump because he's got a big mouth and they're afraid he will light them up on Fox News," he sniped.
"I'm not a politician. You're an inherited money dude from Queens County. bring it, Donald!"
On policy, Scaramucci has also previously expressed support for gun control in 2012. It is not the only instance where Scaramucci expressed views that contradict Trump’s.
In 2012, he described himself as pro-gay marriage, pro-choice and against the death penalty.
In 2012, Scaramucci also said “all terror roads” lead to Moscow, accusing Russia of supporting terrorism and seemingly supporting Romney’s claim at the time that Russia is “without question our No. 1 geopolitical foe,” according to the Wall Street Journal.
Ironically, one of Scaramucci's first challenges will be the questions swirling around Trump administration's alleged links to Russia, and potential Kremlin meddling in the 2016 election.
(With inputs from Reuters)
