Scaramucci defiant as rifts among Trump's men grow

Washington

WHEN Anthony Scaramucci, the new White House communications director, went on television Thursday morning to compare himself and his adversary, Reince Priebus, the chief of staff, to Cain and Abel, it seemed to encapsulate the fratricidal nature of an administration riven by biblical rivalries. Cain, after all, killed Abel as they vied for God's favour.

As it turned out, that was the cleaned-up version. In a vulgarity-laced telephone call with a New Yorker writer reported on the magazine's website on Thursday evening, Mr Scaramucci railed against Mr Priebus and Stephen Bannon, the president's chief strategist, both of whom opposed his hiring last week. He even vowed to get the chief of staff fired. "Reince Priebus - if you want to leak something - he'll be asked to resign very shortly," Mr Scaramucci said.