Scaramucci and the need for control

No matter who is in the Oval Office, the job of the White House communications office is to create positive press attention that promotes the president's agenda. When new communications director Anthony Scaramucci was introduced to the public on July 21, he seemed qualified, deftly answering questions and charming the press.

By Wednesday, things were going downhill.

Scaramucci's financial disclosures were published in the press. In a now-deleted tweet, he claimed it was due to a leak that was a felony and said he'd be contacting the FBI and the Justice Department. But the real drama came from Scaramucci's decision to tag chief of staff Reince Priebus' Twitter handle.

It certainly seemed as though Scaramucci was accusing Priebus of being the leaker, and there has been varying support for this interpretation, not least Scaramucci doubling down on Thursday by calling into CNN and saying, "If Reince wants to explain he's not a leaker, let him do that."

There was, in fact, no need for a leak on this matter, for Scaramucci's own disclosures more than a month ago went public this week. But the real point is that palace intrigue of this juicy sort is not merely unnecessary, but overshadows the White House's agenda. President Trump's tweets about Attorney General Jeff Sessions don't help either. Such distractions undermine the president's agenda to reform healthcare, cut taxes, and strengthen national defense. These are issues that concern the public each day and on which they rely for help on the federal government.