Less than 100 hours after his appointment as White House Communications Director Anthony  (the “Mooch”) Scaramucci did his imitation of “thunderbolt and lightning” but wasn’t “very very frightening” even to his staff whom he told “I’m going to fire everybody” [except Sarah Huckabee and himself] “I’m going to put [you] out on Pennsylvania Avenue to sell postcards to tourists outside the gates” if you don’t stop leaking the truth about this president because it damages “the presidency” – a phrase and concept new to Trump and one that he immediately began trying to pronounce in his daily Jeff Session’s tantrum.  As in the Attorney General’s Russia recusal was “a bad thing, not for the president, but for the presidency.  I think it unfair for the presidency.”  Watch him say those unfamiliar words here and a free HL subscription goes to anyone that can document him uttering those obscure words before.

But the leaking leakers who leaked, are not frightened because they figure whose gonna give them up?  Not the reporters who sopped up all those leaks.  Your blogger, who worked for elected officials, recalls a similar threat one of them made to a suspected leaker in the administration followed by the response “sure he’s going to give up his source and destroy his Pulitzer Prize winning career for you – sorry I’ve got an appointment back on the planet Earth.”

Anthony Scaramucci

So nobody is scared but the easily impressed press corps reported that Scaramucci was really smart and slick and media savvy after his first press conference on July 21.  Really?  In his very first appearance the Mooch displayed the exaggeration, fabrication, name dropping and the five constant points of reference that he incessantly deploys – team spirit – sports – that he’s a good Roman Catholic, a rich entrepreneur and oh I went to Harvard Law School.  As the press conference progressed he preened “I’m a team player – I’ve you know played team sports my whole life, at least as a kid.”  A quarter-truth, if that much, accompanied by “Unfortunately, my generation – I’m born in 1964 – I did not serve.  I filled out the selective service.  It’s one of the regrets for my life.”  Yeah he filled out the forms but 27 year olds working at Goldman Sachs were disqualified from serving in and after Desert Shield.

Several days later during his firing tirade Scaramucci told the press “Let’s say I’m firing [Assistant Press Secretary] Michael Short today . . . the fact that you guys know about it before he does really upsets me as a human being and as a Roman Catholic.”  The press knew about his intended firing of Mr. Short because Scaramucci told Politico about it and what he was attempting was to deprive Short of the dignity of resigning instead – as in “you really didn’t resign cause I’m firing you.”

All and many more Moochisms about as slick and savvy as the man he works for and called a “hack” before Trump became the third presidential candidate Scaramucci backed in 2016.

David Brooks of the Times weekly asks the same two questions, though each time they are phrased a little differently.  When this abomination leaves office how long will it take for previous standards and norms to be restored and will that actually happen?  Here at HL the thought is that we can’t wait until he leaves to start restoring order.  It must begin now, but won’t if the press is more concerned about their access to the Whitehouse than facts and truth and remain impressed with an easily dissected political prostitute like Anthony Scaramucci.