Anthony Scaramucci, the new White House communications director, threatened Tuesday to “fire everybody” if necessary to stop leaks and promptly accepted the resignation of an assistant White House press secretary.
“I’m going to fire everybody, that’s how I’m going to do it. You’re either going to stop leaking, or you’re going to get fired,” Mr. Scaramucci told reporters at the White House.
White House leaks have plagued President Trump since his first day in office, and the crackdown was part of a major shakeup that brought in Mr. Scaramucci and triggered the resignation of former White House press secretary Sean Spicer.
“The people in the room can stay in the room. They have to stop leaking. If they don’t stop leaking, I’m going to put them out on Pennsylvania Avenue,” Mr. Scaramucci said. “You want to sell postcards to the tourists outside the gate, or do you want to work in the West Wing? If you want to work in the West Wing, you have to stop leaking.”
The first casualty of the new purge was Michael Short, an assistant press secretary who had a reputation among the White House press corps as a cautious spokesman not given to leaking.
Mr. Short, a former staffer at the Republican National Committee, told The Washington Times that he resigned Tuesday morning.
SEE ALSO: Anthony Scaramucci plans to dismiss assistant press secretary Michael Short: Report
“It’s been a privilege to serve the president of the United States,” he said.
Mr. Scaramucci pointed to a news report of Mr. Short’s pending departure as proof that leaks at the White House are out of control.
“This is actually a terrible thing. Let’s say I’m firing Michael Short today,” he said. “The fact that you guys know about it before he does really upsets me as a human being and as a Roman Catholic. So I should have the opportunity, if I have to let somebody go, to let the person go in a very humane, dignified way, and then the next thing I’m going to do is help the person get a job somewhere.”
Mr. Scaramucci said that he was prepared to cut the communications team down to just Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who took over as press secretary Friday, and himself if that’s what was needed.
When Mr. Scaramucci came aboard Friday, he said that the entire White House staff had amnesty for leaks but that the culture in the White House needed to change.
⦁ Dave Boyer contributed to this report.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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