Scaramucci: Steve Bannon Has 'White Nationalist' Tendencies

WASHINGTON, DC — Anthony Scaramucci's expressive gestures, enthusiastic rhetoric and — at times — obscene language have earned him a reputation as a loudmouth and a comical figure. Best known for his 10-day stint as communications director at the White House in July, Scaramucci appeared on ABC's "The View" Friday for a clownish performance in which he was joined by Mario Cantone dressed as his doppelganger. But despite the antics, parts of interview were quite serious.

Asked whether he thought Steve Bannon, a former top aide to President Trump who took control of the campaign in its final stretch, was a white nationalist, he gave a surprising response.

“Well, no," he said, "I would say that he has those tendencies. If you read Breitbart, there’s a lot of that 'white nationalist' economic fervor.” (Bannon is the executive chairman of Breitbart.)

It was a striking answer for a former White House staffer to give about a person credited with significantly shaping the president's ideology. While he initially denies thinking of Bannon as a white nationalist, saying that someone has "white nationalist tendencies" as not all that far from calling them a flat-out racist. (For more information on this and other political stories, subscribe to the White House Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Scaramucci did offer some praise for Bannon: "His best quality is he’s a great speech writer," he said. "He’s got a great linguistic skill. You wouldn’t have to proofread him.”

But Scaramucci also argued that, "He had a little bit of a Messianic complex."

And yet the comment about Bannon having white nationalist "tendencies" stands out, especially given the recent dustup over an ESPN commentator who called Trump a "white supremacist." The White House has repeatedly said that host Jemele Hill's comments were a "fireable offense." For a former top White House communications staffer to make similar comments about the president's former campaign chairman and chief strategist just over a week after that controversy is a remarkable turn of events.

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