“Like ‘Game of Thrones’ But With More Viciousness” “It’s ‘Mean Girls'”Â
In a stunning overnight tweet incoming White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci accused White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus of leaking his financial disclosure document, which he claimed is a felony, and asked the FBI to investigate.Â
None of it was true.
He later deleted the tweet, and claimed including the Chief of Staff’s Twitter handle was an attempt to show unity with Priebus. He called it a “public notice to leakers that all Sr Adm officials are helping to end illegal leaks.”
Ryan Lizza of The New Yorker and CNN, who had spoken with Scaramucci that evening, made clear the Communication Director’s intentions:
If it were true that Scaramucci, who technically is not even a White House employee yet, did not want the FBI to investigate Priebus, it does not explain why an FBI spokesperson issued a statement about the White House leaks almost immediately, and in a strange break of protocol and basic standards, referred to Scaramucci by his first name.
As far as Scaramucci’s claim that the “leak” of his financial disclosure document is a “felony,” not only is it not a felony, it’s publicly available information.
TIME’s Zeke Miller notes this from Scaramucci’s CNN interview Thursday AM (NCRM will file a report on that next):
And Matthew Miller, a former Chief DOJ Spokesperson, weighs in:
A behavioral scientist also weighs in:
On MSNBC, journalist Mark Halperin said the White House drama and the battle between Scaramucci and Priebus is “like ‘Game of Thrones’ but more with more viciousness.” Mika Brzezinski responded, saying, “it’s like ‘Mean Girls.'”
Scaramucci did speak with CNN Thursday morning. Stay tuned for more on that.
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