Top Trump man Scaramucci lashes colleagues in obscene rant

New White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci speaks to members of the media at the White House. File picture: AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

New White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci speaks to members of the media at the White House. File picture: AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

Published Jul 28, 2017

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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."

Reuters

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