The White House has announced that President Donald Trump has chosen Wall Street financier Anthony Scaramucci as the new communications director and that Sean Spicer had resigned as press secretary.
The Washington Post reported that Spicer’s abrupt departure on July 21 caught even senior White House staffers by surprise. Spicer had been with the administration since Trump's January 20 inauguration.
The New York Times reported that Spicer disagreed with the appointment of Scaramucci, who has little political experience.
Spicer, who has had an often-combative relationship with the press, wrote on Twitter that he felt his resignation would allow Trump to "benefit from a clean slate" and that he would stay on through August to help with the transition.
The White House announced that Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who had been Spicer's deputy, would become the press secretary.
Scaramucci, speaking at a White House press briefing, denied that Spicer's resignation was a sign of continued turmoil and infighting within the administration.
"I think the White House is on track," he said.
Scaramucci is a Republican fund-raiser, founder of the Skybridge Capital hedge fund, and a strong Trump supporter. He currently is with the Export-Import Bank.
The position became vacant when Michael Dubke resigned in May.
Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, The New York Times, CNN, and AFP