Tossing 54-year-old Anthony Scaramucci out as White House Communication Director, President Donald Trump’s new Chief of Staff Gen. John Kelly recognized the White House could not use another loose cannon. Minted as Communication Director July 21, Scaarmucci barely lasted 10 days before the profane interview and tabloid stories about his divorce consumed the headlines. When former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus resigned July 28, Trump tapped Kelly from Homeland Security Director to serve as his Chief of Staff. Kelly didn’t waste any time giving Scaramucci his walking papers, primarily because no one in the administration is supposed to make headlines other than Trump. Transitioning from hedge fund manager to Communication Director wasn’t easy for the flamboyant Scaramucci, since he didn’t have any experience in the strategic communication business.
Communication Director’s aren’t supposed to make headlines when he gave controversial interview to the New Yorker, using expletives to describe White House Senior Adviser 63-year-old Stephen Bannon. New on the block, Scaramucci came in July 21 with a big splash but quickly exited with an even bigger thud. Kelly recognized his first order of business was to end Scaramucci’s short-lived tap-dance in the limelight. “Anthony Scaramucci will be leaving his role as White House Communication Director,” said Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee-Sanders took over from former Press Secretary Sean Spicer July 28. “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,” said Huckabee-Sanders, whitewashing the real reason’s Trump called for Scaramucci’s termination.
Scaramucci was fired because he had no strategic communication experience and because he inserted himself into the national headlines, detracting from the White House message. Battling the press, dealing with the FBI investigation into alleged collusion with the Russians in the 2016 campaign and managing global crises like Syria and North Korea, Trump felt Scaramucci wasn’t cutting it. Scaramucci’s dismissal doesn’t come with any other assignments in the Trump White House. Kelly saw what Scaramucci was all about and wanted no part of it. Kelly’s tasked with the unenviable mission to stop the White House hemorrhaging, gain control over various Trump advisers and control the message going forward. Scaramucci didn’t fit into Kellys’ plans to rehab a disabled White House staff, reacting defensively to nearly daily scandals hyped by Washington’s anti-Trump press corps.
Press Secretary Huckabee-Sanders said she was blindsided by Scaramucci’s abrupt departure. It “came out the blue,” said Huckabee-Sanders, expressing as much surprise as anyone. But with Scaramucci dominating the tabloids over the weekend, Kelly could not longer control White House events without getting rid the fashion-plate former hedge fund manager. Kelly’s job is to get all of Trump’s advisers on the same page when it comes to sending out a coherent message. Unlike Scaramucci that had a tense relationship with the press, Kelly needs a Communication Director capable of changing the Washington narrative. Under Priebus, Trump eventually figure out that White House leaks had to stop. While no one knows for sure whether or not Priebus leaked to the media, you can rest assured the Kelly will keep a tighter ship, finding and ridding the White House of leakers.
Whatever the White House turnover, Trump’s been dogged since swearing in Jan. 20, 2017 with relentless media attacks and an FBI investigation. If Kelly’s going to make any progress on Trump’s agenda, he’s going to have to shift the media narrative and work toward Special Counsel former FBI Director Robert Mueller concluding the investigation. Rep. Steven A. King (R-Iowa) called the House and Senate investigations into alleged White House collusion with Russia hogwash. He said emphatically that the Congressional investigation into Trump’s alleged collusion with the Kremlin phony as they can get. If Kelly can manage with the new White House Communication Director to stop the witch-hunt against the Trump White House then there’s hope of salvaging Trump’s agenda. Trump can’t move his agenda forward without media support and ending the FBI probe into Russian collusion.
Calling for a new Special Counsel to investigate former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, both her email scandal but also pay-to-play with the Clinton foundation while running the State Department. If Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions appoints a Special Counsel to look into Hillary, a lot of the air will come out of the sails investigating Trump for Russian collusion. Since losing the election, Democrats have been hell-bent on tying Trump to the Kremlin, something Hillary and her former campaign Chairman John D. Podesta tried to do during the campaign. Backed by war hawks in Congress, like Sen. John McCain (R-Az.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Democrats have done everything possible to sabotage Trump’s attempt to reset relations with Moscow. Passing the new sanctions bill July 28, the Senate killed any chance of improving ties with Moscow. Kelly has a lot on his plate to turn thins around.
