White House Communications Director Resigns After 10 Days

On the day that John Kelly, former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, began his work as Chief of Staff for Donald Trump at the White House, media reported the dismissal of the newly appointed White House Communications Director. The White House confirmed this report in a statement. On Monday, shortly after media reported on John Kelly's swearing-in and start in his new role at the White House, the New York Times cited an unnamed source regarding the dismissal of Anthony Scaramucci, the newly appointed Communications Director. A similar report was published by the Associated Press, citing a close associate of Anthony Scaramucci. Following this, the White House issued a brief statement confirming Mr. Scaramucci's resignation, stating that he preferred to give John Kelly, the new Chief of Staff, enough space to 'form his team' at the start of his tenure. Mr. Scaramucci, who was previously a Wall Street investor, had been appointed as Communications Director just 10 days prior, and following his appointment, both the White House Press Secretary and shortly thereafter the Chief of Staff resigned from their positions. In recent days, he had made controversial remarks against former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and senior advisor Steve Bannon, accusing Reince Priebus of being the main source of information leaks from the White House. According to the White House spokesperson during Monday's press conference, Donald Trump deemed these remarks 'inappropriate.' However, Mr. Priebus, in an interview with CNN after his resignation, declined to comment on Mr. Scaramucci's controversial statements and only emphasized his full support for the President's decisions. The American publication Politico reported that Mr. Scaramucci's dismissal was at the request of John Kelly. Within the organizational structure of the White House, the Communications Director operates under the Chief of Staff. Some Republicans in the U.S. hope that John Kelly's appointment as Chief of Staff will lead to a reorganization of the White House. Mr. Trump had previously praised John Kelly's activities during his tenure as Secretary of Homeland Security, describing him as a great leader and a true star in his administration. No new individual has yet been appointed to the position of Secretary of Homeland Security.