A New Hire For The White House, But Is Scaramucci Needed | Morning Joe

>>> THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS EXPECTED TO NAME TRUMP OFFICIAL
ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI AS WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR.
SOURCES IN AND AROUND THE WHITE HOUSE TELL NBC NEWS.
THE FIRST REPORT SCARAMUCCI WAS CAREFUL TO GIVE THIS CAVAT.
NOTHING IS EVER SETTLED UNTIL PRESIDENT TRUMP ANNOUNCES IT.
IT'S A CONTROVERSIAL CHOICE. AXIUS REPORTS THAT REINCE
PRIEBUS AND STEVE BANNON ARE VERY MUCH AGAINST THE SELECTION.
THE SOURCE TELLS US THAT SCARAMUCCI MET WITH IVANA AND
PRESIDENT TRUMP IN THE OVAL OFFICE YESTERDAY WHERE HE WAS
OFFERED THE JOB. SEAN SPICER HAS BEEN PULLING
DOUBLE DUTY AS PRESS SECRETARY AND COMS DIRECTOR SINCE MAY.
NICOLE WALLACE, I'M GOING TO DO ONE OF THINK MAIFRT THINGS,
WHICH IS TO MAKE YOU DO LIKE A FLASHBACK TO YOUR FORMER LIFE
BEFORE YOU WERE A JOURNALIST, HOST, SUPERSTAR, BACK WHEN YOU
WERE WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR.
JUST TALK ABOUT WHAT IS ROOIRD TO BE A SUCCESSFUL WHITE HOUSE
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR AND WHETHER ON THE BASIS OF YOUR
KNOWLEDGE OF ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI, HE IS A GOOD CHOICE FOR THE JOB?
>> IN THIS WHITE HOUSE IT'S A TOTALLY DIFFERENT JOB.
WE USED TO SORT OF OPERATE WITHIN THE GUARDRAILS OF ROLLING
OUT A STRATEGY FOR A PRESIDENT WHO WAS PUSHING AN AGENDA FOR
WHICH HE WAS TRYING TO BUILD SUPPORT IN CONGRESS AND AMONG
THE PUBLIC. SOMETIMES WE CAME UP VERY SHORT,
AND OFTENTIMES THE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR MANAGES
COMMUNICATIONS TO THE PRESIDENT, THE GOVERNMENT, AFTER AN OUTSIDE
EVENT, AFTER AN ATTACK, LIKE 9/11.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS WHITE HOUSE NEEDS A COMMUNICATIONS
DIRECTOR FOR, AND IT'S NO SECRET, JARED KUSHNER AND SORT
OF HIS WING, HIS FACTION INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE, HAS BEEN VERY
OPEN ABOUT THEIR DISPLEASURE WITH THE CURRENT SKILL SET OF
THE EXISTING COMS FOLKS, AND SO I'M NOT SURPRISED THAT A NEW
NAME THAT IS NOT SORT OF A CANDIDATE OF REINCE AND BANNON'S
CHOOSING WOULD EMERGE. I THINK WHEN YOU GO TO LOOK FOR
A PRESIDENT WHO BECAME LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD WHO HAS -- I
DON'T KNOW WHY YOU THINK YOU WOULD GET IN THE WHITE HOUSE AND
BE ESSENTIAL. >> MY QUESTION FOR YOU IS MUCC.
YOU LIKE HIM. HE IS A G GOOD GUY.
WHAT DO YOU THINK HE -- WHY DOES HE WANT THIS JOB?
WHY WOULD ANYBODY WANT TO BE WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS
DIRECTOR IF YOU ARE A RICH GUY FROM NEW YORK?
HE HAS SOME DOUGH. WHAT'S HE THINKING?
>> YOU ARE RIGHT THERE WITH THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
THAT'S A BIG DEAL. >> WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR THIS
PRESIDENT? FORWARDING HIS TWEETS.
RETWEETING HIM? >> HIS PROBLEM, THE COUNTRY'S
PROBLEM, THE WORLD'S PROBLEM IS THE PRESIDENT IS THE
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR. HE IS HIS OWN COMMUNICATIONS
DIRECTOR. I MEAN, THAT BIZARRE MIKE
SCHMIDT HALL OF FAME THIRD BASEMAN STILL WITH US, I ASKED
YOU THIS YESTERDAY, MICHAEL. I MEAN, THE IDEA YOU, MAGGIE,
PETER BAKER FROM "THE TIMES" SITTING IN THE OVAL OFFICE.
IF YOU READ THE ENTIRE TRANSCRIPT OF THE INTERVIEW --
>> INCREDIBLE. >> -- IT IS BEYOND BIZARRE.
WHAT WAS YOUR HUMAN REACTION AS -- MAYBE YOU DIDN'T GET WHAT
HE WAS SAYING ASSIST YOU SAT THERE DURING IT.
I DON'T KNOW. YOU TELL US.
>> THE PRESIDENT IS HARDER TO FOLLOW THAN I THOUGHT HE WOULD
BE. HE TACKLES A LOT OF DIFFERENT
THINGS VERY QUICKLY, AND ACTUALLY AS I WAS SITTING HERE
YESTERDAY, THERE WAS A WHOLE PART WHERE YOU GUYS SORT OF
LOOKED AT SOME STUFF THAT HE HAD SAID ABOUT NAPOLEON, AND I HAD
FORGOTTEN ABOUT THAT ENTIRE PART OF THE INTERVIEW.
>> HOW COULD YOU FORGET? THAT IS MY SINGLE FAVORITE
PASSAGE OF THE WHOLE THING. >> THERE WERE SO MANY DIFFERENT
THINGS THAT WENT ON IN THE INTERVIEW.
IT WAS -- I GUESS WE WERE IN THERE FOR ABOUT 50 MINUTES.
HE MOVES INCREDIBLY QUICKLY BECAUSE I THINK FROM NAPOLEON WE
WERE QUICKLY BACK ON THE ECONOMY AND ON TO SOMETHING ELSE, AND
YOU HAVE A VERY DIFFICULT TIME PINNING HIM DOWN AND COMING BACK
TO SOMETHING. THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT
INTERESTING THREADS OR THINGS THAT YOU ARE NOT SURE OF OR
WHETHER WHERE THEY CAME FROM OR WHAT THEY MEAN.
AS MYSELF, A FIRST-TIME TRUMP INTERVIEWEE OR INTERVIEWING HIM
FOR THE FIRST TIME, IT WAS AN INTERESTING EXPERIENCE IN TRYING
TO FOLLOW HIM, BUT ALSO TRYING TO PIN HIM DOWN.
WE WORKED REALLY HARD ON THE MUELLER ISSUE AND ON THE RUSSIA
INVESTIGATION AS THE THING THAT WE FOCUSED THE MOST OF OUR
EFFORTS AND ENERGY ON, BUT WE COULD HAVE SAT THERE FOR A LONG
TIME. MY GUESS, AND I DON'T KNOW THIS,
IS THAT THE PRESIDENT WOULD HAVE SAT WITH US PROBABLY FOR ANOTHER
TWO HOURS IF HIS AIDES HAD ALLOWED HIM.
HE SEEMED TO VERY MUCH ONCE HE GOT GOING ENJOY SPEAKING WITH US
AND ENJOY TRYING TO ALLOW US TO SEE THE WORLD THROUGH HIS EYES.
>> HEIDI, I WANT TO ASK YOU A QUESTION.
I KNOW SCARAMUCCI. LET'S EXPLAIN WHAT HE DOES FOR A
LIVING. HE RUNS A FUND TO FUNDS.
WHEN YOU DO THAT, FUND OF FUNDS IS SOMEBODY WHO BASICALLY
RAISES -- TAKES HEDGE FUND MONEY AND KIND OF DISTRIBUTES IT.
>> BASICALLY HE IS JUST GOING OUT AND RAISING MONEY.
HE WILL WALK INTO A PENSION FUND AND D GO, INVEST $100 MILLION WH
ME. HEY, HE IS BASICALLY A SALESMAN.
TIGER SALESMAN. THAT MEANS -- I LIKE HIM, BUT
THAT'S WHAT HE DOES. HE HAS NO SKILL SET.
>> LOTS OF SALESMEN ARE TIGERS. >> IT'S NO DIFFERENT.
HE BASICALLY HAS NO SKILL SET IN COMMUNICATIONS, WHICH IS LIKE
JARED KUSHNER, WHO HAS NO SKILL SET IN NEGOTIATING IN THE MIDDLE
EAST. HE HAS A GUY THAT'S A BRIGHT
GUY. ZERO SKILLS.
WHAT SEEMS, HEIDI, TO BE CONSISTENT WITH THIS PRESIDENT
AND VERY OFTEN PUTTING PEOPLE IN OFFICE WHO HAVE ACTUALLY NO
QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE JOB. >> WHICH IS THE GREAT IRONY OF
THIS PRESIDENCY BECAUSE IF I TAKE YOU BACK TO THE CAMPAIGN
TRAIL, THAT WAS THE PROMISE OF A PRESIDENT TRUMP.
IT WAS THAT WHILE HE MAY NOT HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE WHATSOEVER
IN GOVERNMENT, IN POLICY, OR IN THE MILITARY, WHICH IS A FIRST
FOR OUR COUNTRY AS THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE, HE WOULD HIRE PEOPLE
AROUND HIM WHO DO. HE WOULD HIRE THE BEST POSSIBLE
PEOPLE. WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE IS HE IS
HIRING PEOPLE IN HIS IMAGE, INSTEAD OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE
THE DEEPEST SKILL SET. IN THIS CASE, LIKE YOU SAID, I
AM NOT SURE HOW MANY IT MATTERS BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOOK BACK AT
THE "NEW YORK TIMES" INTERVIEW, IT SHOWS THAT THERE IS NO ONE
WHO IS RUNNING THIS TRAIN OTHER THAN HE HIMSELF.
IN ADDITION TO MAKING A LOT OF COMMENTS THAT JUST WERE OFF
TOPIC AND DIDN'T SEEM TO MAKE SENSE, I WONDER IF YOU AGREE
WITH THIS, MICHAEL? HE JUST KEPT TALKING ON RUSSIA
AND SAYING THINGS THAT MUST HAVE HAD HIS LAWYERS REALLY, YOU
KNOW, SAYING PLEASE STOP. LIKE, YOU KNOW, HE BROUGHT UP
THE DOSSIER, AND THEN HE ALSO SEEMED TO -- I THOUGHT THIS WAS
A REALLY INTERESTING POINT -- TO BRING UP THE ADOPTIONS ISSUE AND
CONFIRM THAT HE HAD DISCUSSED ADOPTIONS WITH PUTIN, WHICH IS
ESSENTIALLY BRINGING UP THE MAGNITSKI ACT.
SEEMINGLY, ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THOSE OFFICIALS WHO MET WITH DON
JR. WERE, IN FACT, ACTING ON THE INTERESTS OF VLADIMIR PUTIN AND
BRINGING UP THE ACT. EACH TIME HE DOES ONE OF THESE
INTERVIEWS, THERE'S NOBODY, WHETHER IT'S ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI
OR ANYONE ELSE CAPABLE OF STOPPING HIM.
>> MY SENSE ON THE RUSSIA STUFF IS THAT HE LOOKS AT IT -- THIS
IS -- TRURP IS A PERSON THAT'S BEEN INVOLVED IN DOZENS OF
LAWSUITS, AND HE SORT OF LOOKS AT IT IN THAT LENS IN THE SENSE
THAT HE -- THAT IT'S LIKE HE CAN SORT OF PUT PRESSURE ON THE
OTHER SIDE, THAT HE CAN MAKE THEIR LIFE MORE DIFFICULT.
HE CAN THROW A LOT OF RESOURCES AT THEM THIS ISSUE AND
EVENTUALLY THEY'LL SORT OF, YOU KNOW, GIVE IN AND MAKE A DEAL
AND THEY'LL MOVE ALONG. THAT'S NOT HOW FEDERAL
INVESTIGATIONS WORK AND ESPECIALLY A SPECIAL COUNSEL.
MY SENSE FROM HIM IS JUST SORT OF, LIKE, WELL, I'LL FIGHT THIS
IN THE PRESS. I'LL PUSH AS HARD AS I CAN ON
IT, AND EVENTUALLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE IT GO AWAY IN THE SAME
WAY THAT LAWSUITS THAT HE HAS DEALT WITH BEFORE, YOU KNOW, HOW
HE HAS APPROACHED THOSE. THE THING IS, THOUGH, IS THAT IN
THE FEDERAL -- IT'S JUST A BIGGER DIFFERENCE, AND YOU HAVE
SOMEONE IN MUELLER THAT JUST IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT ANIMAL FROM
ANYTHING LIKE THAT. I THINK THAT IS WHERE THEY WILL
RUN INTO ISSUES IS WITH RUNNING INTO THAT SYSTEM.
>> HE IS HARD TO FOLLOW, THAT WILL STICK WITH ME ALL DAY.
>> HE IS INVOLVED IN THOUSANDS OF LAWSUITS.

A New Hire For The White House, But Is Scaramucci Needed | Morning Joe | MSNBC

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