Scaramucci out as WH communications director

Scaramucci out as WH communications director
By Jordan Fabian - 07-31-17 14:42 PM EDT

President Trump on Monday removed Anthony Scaramucci as communications director, ending a tumultuous tenure in the West Wing that lasted just 10 days.

The brash former hedge fund manager lost his job on the same day that Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly assumed his new role as Trump's chief of staff.

The White House cast the move as Scaramucci's decision. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement that "he felt it was best to give chief of staff John Kelly a clean slate and the ability to build his own team."

Yet his quick ouster is being seen as a sign that Kelly could have more power in the chief of staff role than his predecessor, Reince Priebus, ever did.

Scaramucci's hiring on July 21 sent shockwaves through a West Wing already wracked by chaos, contributing to the departure of then-chief of staff Priebus and former White House press secretary Sean Spicer.

Priebus and Spicer both vehemently opposed Scaramucci's hire, and Spicer resigned on the day he joined the staff.

In the aftermath, Scaramucci focused his ire on Priebus, accusing of him of leaking to the press in a profane rant published in The New Yorker that took aim at several other members of Trump's senior staff.

Trump allies have expressed hope the arrival of Kelly, a retired Marine general, will help bring discipline to an unruly White House that has been wracked by infighting and leaks.

Scaramucci seemed to be an obstacle to that goal. He frequently boasted he reported directly to the president and not the chief of staff.

Before his exit, one Trump associate said Kelly's biggest challenge in imposing order would be finding a way to deal with Scaramucci.

"[The] key to success will be laying down discipline and explaining to Anthony that the rules have changed," the associate said.

Scaramucci's official start date was Aug. 15, but he was already carrying out the duties of the job, attending meetings in the White House and acting as a surrogate for Trump on television.

It's not clear if Scaramucci will take another role in the Trump administration or leave it entirely. The former Wall Street financier worked as the chief strategy officer at the Export-Import Bank before being brought on as communications director.

The New York Times first reported the news of Scaramucci's removal.

This story was updated at 3:30 p.m.