Donald Trump

Scaramucci Says Don't Rule Out Beltway Return

"At some point I'll probably be more involved from the outside, but more in a re-election capability than from inside the administration," Anthony Scaramucci says

Washington may not have seen the last of "The Mooch."

Anthony Scaramucci, the short-lived White House communications chief who was forced out after just 11 days on the job, said in an interview on Monday that he remains in close touch with the White House.

He told The Associated Press that although he has not spoken to Donald Trump in over a month, he talks to members of the president's inner circle "regularly" and sees himself working with Trump again in the future.

"I have very good relationships there still, and you have to remember we were a team for 18 months, and so we all had different roles. And so I'm still playing my role frankly. I'm an advocate for the president, media surrogate when I need to be," Scaramucci said.

Scaramucci is in Israel this week as a guest of the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce, a U.S.-based group that works with professionals, politicians and community leaders to stimulate business opportunities and influence public policy.

Scaramucci, a former Wall Street financier and successful entrepreneur, is not Jewish but said he has longstanding ties with members of the group from New York and is scouting out Israel's vibrant high-tech sector for possible future opportunities.

While he said he is currently focused on his business dealings, he expects to help Trump on his re-election campaign.

"At some point I'll probably be more involved from the outside, but more in a re-election capability than from inside the administration," he said.

Scaramucci, a member of Trump's campaign and transition teams, was appointed White House communications director in July. But he was fired just days into the job after he gave an expletive-laced interview to The New Yorker and made derogatory statements about several members of the Trump administration.

In the interview, he was very vocal about unauthorized leaks coming out of the White House. The primary targets of his angry interview, the chief of staff at the time, Reince Priebus, and then-chief strategist Steve Bannon, have since left the administration.

Scaramucci, in a dark blue suit, blue tie and crisp white shirt, joked that he had expected his term at the White House to have a longer shelf life than a "carton of milk."

But he said that is politics and he has no regrets. He even said his term was successful in a way because he helped bring the issue of unauthorized leaks under control.

"We identified quickly who many of the leakers were, and they're gone," he said. "You and I both know the leaks are down substantially. And that's a positive thing for the president."

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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