From the beginning, Sean Spicer didn’t appear to enjoy his job. Forced to explain his boss’ absurd tweets and hiding in the bushes to avoid awkward questions, Spicer was arguably the most miserable man in Washington. But apparently the last straw was being passed over for a promotion.
Now the New York Times is reporting that Spicer is resigning as press secretary after Trump appointed Anthony Scaramucci, a frequent Trump defender on TV and a Wall Street financier in his day job, as communications director, a fairly blunt snub against Spicer:
Mr. Trump offered Mr. Scaramucci the job at 10 a.m. The president requested that Mr. Spicer stay on, but Mr. Spicer told Mr. Trump that he believed the appointment was a major mistake, according to person with direct knowledge of the exchange.
Spicer had been angling for a promotion in the White House, hoping to step away from press secretary duties in favor of Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who’s generally taken the podium in the recent press briefings. That Spicer, who’s been second only to Trump in the public mockery he’s gotten, was passed over for a plum role and would be expected to work for somebody with less experience, appears to be the last straw. This will make Spicer the ninth high level official to resign or be fired from the Trump administration, which just reached the six month mark this week.
UPDATE: Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, a longtime colleague of Spicer’s, is reportedly furious with Scaramucci’s appointment.
Reince Priebus furious, per multiple who spoke w him. He has tried blocking Scaramucci at various points.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) July 21, 2017
Watch The White House’s official response below.
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(Via The New York Times)