White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, also known as "The Mooch," called up the New Yorker's Ryan Lizza last night to find out who leaked information about a dinner he was attending with President Trump, the First Lady, Sean Hannity, and Fox executive Bill Shine. After Lizza refused to give up his source, Scaramucci apparently became irritated, threatening to fire the entire White House communications team, and referring to himself by his nickname — in the third person.
“O.K., the Mooch showed up a week ago,” he told Lizza. “This is going to get cleaned up very shortly, O.K.? Because I nailed these guys. I’ve got digital fingerprints on everything they’ve done through the F.B.I. and the fucking Department of Justice.”
Among the many, many, spectacular quotes from the call, Scaramucci alludes to the future of White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, who Scaramucci alleges “cock-blocked” him for the first half of Trump's presidency. Scaramucci added that Priebus, who he claims was the one who leaked information to Lizza, would resign soon. Scaramucci also alluded to a desire to kill all of the White House staff members who leak to the press. The call's unmoored tone is not unlike Steve Bannon's call to the New York Times earlier this year, and offers a glimpse into the tone of the current White House staff.
