White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer Resigns

Bridget Johnson | 9:50 AM on July 21, 2017

In this March 1, 2016 file photo, souvenir plates bearing images of Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and late Chinese leader Mao Zedong are displayed at a shop near Tiananmen Square in Beijing. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

WASHINGTON — After weeks of frequently delivering press briefings instead of press secretary Sean Spicer, deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders will now move into his role.

Spicer, the former press secretary for the Republican National Committee, began his tenure at the White House with the beginning of President Trump’s administration and an argument over crowd sizes at the inauguration.

This morning he resigned over a dispute about the next White House communications director, the New York Times reported.

Mike Dubke, founding partner at the Alexandria, Va., consulting firm Black Rock Group, was named assistant to the president and the leader of the White House communications team on March 6. He resigned 12 weeks later, and Spicer had been juggling the comms director duties.

This morning, Trump adviser Anthony Scaramucci was named to the role.

Scaramucci, a senior vice president at the U.S. Export-Import Bank, fundraised for President Obama in the 2008 campaign and was a campaign co-chairman for Mitt Romney in 2012. He initially endorsed Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in 2016 before backing Trump.

He was appointed director of the White House Office of Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs in January, sparking internal administration feuding during his Office of Government Ethics vetting process. In March, the role went to Ideagen founder and former George W. Bush administration staffer George Sifakis.

Scaramucci, who founded hedge-fund investment firm SkyBridge Capital, does not have any communications experience. He does have a history of defending Trump on cable news.

“My middle name could be Shit-stirrer, except then my initials on my shirt would be a.s.s., and I can’t have that,” he told New York magazine in 2012.

Spicer’s last press briefing was Monday. After frequent absences in which Sanders filled in, a reporter called out at the start of the briefing, “We miss you, Sean.”

“Well, I miss you too,” Spicer replied.

Melissa McCarthy’s portrayal of Spicer on Saturday Night Live earned her an Emmy nomination.