Washington - Open warfare erupted inside
President Donald Trump's inner circle as his new communications
director, Anthony Scaramucci, attacked senior White House
colleagues in obscene comments published on Thursday.
Scaramucci blasted White House chief of staff Reince Priebus
and Trump's chief strategist, Steve Bannon, in an article in The
New Yorker based on a telephone conversation on Wednesday night
between one of the magazine's correspondents and Scaramucci.
Amid a stream of vulgar language, the former Wall Street
financier named to the communications post last Friday called
Priebus a "f**king paranoid schizophrenic" and accused Bannon of
trying to build his own brand "off the f**king strength of the
president".
In a Twitter message after the article appeared online,
Scaramucci said: "I sometimes use colorful language. I will
refrain in this arena but not give up the passionate fight for
@realDonaldTrump's agenda."
Asked about the article, White House press secretary Sarah
Sanders said the administration was focused on healthcare and
other items.
"He used some colourful language that I don't anticipate
he'll do again," she told reporters. Any apology "needs to
happen personally between them," she said.
Priebus and Bannon had no comment.
Trump himself made no public comment on his aide's outburst.
Some of Trump's advisers have questioned Priebus' competence
and his position appeared weak. Republicans close to the White
House said Trump's family had also been critical of his chief of
staff.
The drama was the latest sign of disarray within the Trump
White House even as it tries to advance healthcare and tax
reform legislation. The president himself is preoccupied with an
investigation into Russian meddling in last year's presidential
election and has been fiercely critical in recent days of his
own attorney general, Jeff Sessions.
The scathing remarks by Scaramucci came as he and other
Trump loyalists ratcheted up pressure on Priebus, a former
Republican National Committee chairman, who does not have
years-long ties with Trump.
There has been speculation that Priebus, who steered the
party apparatus behind Trump's unorthodox candidacy in last
year's election, is on his way out because Trump has no major
legislative achievements in his first six months in office.
'I'M NOT STEVE BANNON'
Earlier in the day, Sanders would not say whether Trump had
confidence in Priebus.
"We all serve at the pleasure of the president and if it
gets to a place where that isn't the place, he'll let you know,"
Sanders told reporters.
She added that Trump "hires the very best people" who are
not always going to agree and that he supports "healthy
competition, and with that competition you usually get the best
results."
Priebus had sought to block Scaramucci from a White House
job, according to officials. Priebus' allies said Trump's hiring
of Scaramucci, which prompted press secretary Sean Spicer to
resign, was a bad omen for Priebus.
In The New Yorker article, Scaramucci demanded to know how
the reporter found out about a White House dinner Scaramucci had
with Trump on Wednesday. In the conversation, Scaramucci made
clear he suspected that Priebus had leaked the information to
the reporter, calling Priebus "a paranoiac,” according to the
magazine.
Scaramucci also told The New Yorker that unlike Bannon, he
had no interest in media attention.
"I’m not Steve Bannon," he said, adding: "I’m here to serve
the country.”
On Wednesday, Scaramucci appeared to suggest in a Twitter
message, later deleted, that the Federal Bureau of Investigation
should investigate Priebus over a leak of Scaramucci's financial
records.
"If Reince wants to explain he's not a leaker, let him do
that," Scaramucci said on CNN's "New Day" on Thursday.
US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan defended
Priebus on Thursday. The two men, both from Wisconsin, are
close.
"Reince is doing a fantastic job at the White House and I
believe he has the president's confidence. If those two
gentlemen have differences, my advice would be to sit down and
settle your differences," Ryan told a news conference.
Trump allies saw the drama playing out as a sign that the
group of original Trump supporters was growing weary of Priebus
and the RNC faction he brought with him.
"There is a widespread feeling among Trump supporters that
he's never been a real supporter of Donald Trump and that he
isn't playing to win on the president's behalf," said an outside
Trump adviser. "After six months of this, time is up."