‘MOOCH’ LASTS DAYS IN WHITE HOUSE

Move made at request of new chief of staff

WASHINGTON • President Donald Trump on Monday removed Anthony Scaramucci from his role as White House communications director just days after the New York financier was named to the job — a move made at the request of new White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, according to two people with knowledge of the decision.

The brief tenure of Scaramucci, known as “The Mooch,” 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.

The White House confirmed Scaramucci’s departure in a statement on Monday afternoon.

“Anthony Scaramucci will be leaving his role as White House Communications Director,” said a statement attributed to the White House press secretary, though it was unclear whether it was from Spicer or the incoming press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “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 was not intended to be personal, but rather an effort to change the culture of the White House and to signal to staff their comments always reflect on the president.

The abrupt removal of Scaramucci, a wealthy financier who had backed Trump during the campaign, punctuated a day that began with a Trump tweet declaring that despite the upheaval of the past two weeks, there was “no WH chaos!” in his administration.

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 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 Spicer’s objections.

Scaramucci, a sharply dressed, fast-talking New Yorker who touted his ability to channel the president’s own brash personality, quickly sought to establish himself as a rising power centre in Trump’s circle. He held forth from the press room lectern on the day he was named to the post, answering questions for over 45 minutes from reporters. Within days of entering the White House, he also threatened to end White House leaks by firing “everyone” in the press office until the unauthorized disclosures ended.

Quickly, however, his feud with Priebus became the main focus of his energy and his accusations of leaking.

Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, centre, seen while President Donald Trump meets with John Kelly, his new Chief of Staff, in the Oval office on Monday. Later, Trump decided to remove Scaramucci from his position. DOUG...