Anthony Scaramucci breaks silence after White House exit

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Monday, August 14, 2017

WASHINGTON -- Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci broke his silence for the first time since leaving the White House in a Sunday morning interview with ABC.

In the no-holds-barred interview, Scaramucci described himself as a "straight-up guy" and admitted it was likely his bombastic style -- evident in a taped phone call with a reporter The New Yorker -- hastened his end.

"I wish they would have given me a bar of soap and told me to go wash my mouth out in the bathroom and move on," Scaramucci said of the profanity-laced interview.

Scaramucci also addressed Saturday's violence in Charlottesville. When asked about President Trump's statement condemning "hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides," Scaramucci said he "wouldn't have recommended that statement."

"I think he needed to be much harsher as it related to the white supremacists," Scaramucci said.

Scaramucci was highly critical of chief strategist Steve Bannon.

"I think the president has a very good idea of who the leakers are inside the White House," Scaramucci said.