President Trump’s former director of communications Anthony Scaramucci spoke out Saturday against the president’s ongoing attacks on the press.
“The press is NOT the enemy of the people,” Mr. Scaramucci said on Twitter. “The free press protects against autocracy and because we teach our children to speak freely they think freely and that is where most of our economic innovation comes from.”
Mr. Scaramucci made the remark in response to a tweet sent by Jonathan Lemire, a White House reporter for The Associated Press, who noted that Mr. Trump has targeted critical media outlets recently regardless of concerns raised about the potential consequences for working journalists.
“The press is doing everything within their power to fight the magnificence of the phrase, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! They can’t stand the fact that this Administration has done more than virtually any other Administration in its first 2yrs. They are truly the ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE!” Mr. Trump tweeted Friday.
“Despite violence and threats against journalists, and some urging by portions of his inner circle, Trump continues to label the media ’The Enemy of the People,’” responded Mr. Lemire.
Mr. Trump’s communications director for less than a week in 2017, “The Mooch” is seemingly among those people with ties to the president opposed to his ongoing rhetoric.
“This is a mistake,” Mr. Scaramucci tweeted about Mr. Trump’s attacks.
Democrats in the House and Senate directly referenced Mr. Trump’s ongoing attacks last month while proposing bicameral legislation, the Journalist Protection Act, that would make it a federal crime to intentionally assault a journalist “in the course of reporting or in a manner designed to intimidate him or her from newsgathering.”
“Under this administration, reporters face a near-constant barrage of verbal threats, casting the media as enemies of the American people and possible targets of violence,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, one of the bill’s sponsors in the Senate. “This bill makes clear that engaging in any kind of violence against members of the media will simply not be tolerated.”
The proposal is pending on Capitol Hill and has garnered the support of a total of 16 lawmakers so far, all Democrats.
Mr. Scaramucci, 55, officially held the role of White House director of communications for only six days prior to resigning in July 2017. He was succeeded by Hope Hicks, who was subsequently replaced last year by former Fox News executive Bill Shine. Ms. Hicks, 30, has since begun working for Fox News, and Mr. Shine, 55, resigned as communications director last month to work on Mr. Trump’s re-election campaign.
Mr. Shine’s replacement has not yet been named.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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