*By Alisha Haridasani* Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House communications director, said The New Yorker magazine’s Ryan Lizza acted “inappropriately” when he published [an article](https://www.newyorker.com/news/ryan-lizza/anthony-scaramucci-called-me-to-unload-about-white-house-leakers-reince-priebus-and-steve-bannon) that essentially led to Scaramucci’s firing last year. “I was building a rapport with him, I was talking to him very colloquially,” Scaramucci said in an interview with Cheddar’s J.D. Durkin. In that article, Lizza describes a profane on-the-record phone call with Scaramucci in which he criticizes Reince Priebus, the former White House chief of Staff, and Steve Bannon, a former top presidential adviser. A few days later, Scaramucci was out of his job, too. Scaramucci said that Lizza has tried to contact him since the article was published, asking if he would speak to Lizza's class at Georgetown University. "What is this guy -- nuts?” Scaramucci said. Though he only lasted 11 days in his job, Scaramucci said he made important changes at the White House. “I only did, like, three things right when I was there,” Scaramucci said, adding that it was his decision to allow cameras back into the daily news briefings. (The former White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, had barred live coverage of his daily briefings.) “I’m a big believer in the First Amendment,” he said. And it was he who helped convince President Trump to pickSarah Huckabee Sanders to be the White House press secretary. “I think she’s done a great job,” he said. Scaramucci said he's still in touch with the president, who calls him up to talk politics and discuss personal issues. “I’ve probably talked to him 12 or so times,” since leaving the White House, Scaramucci said. “But again, I don’t want to exaggerate my relationship.” For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/anthony-scaramucci-had-leakers-on-the-run-during-his-11-days-at-the-white-house).

Share:
More In Politics
U.S. Infection Rate Rising Outside New York as States Open Up
An Associated Press analysis finds that taking the New York metropolitan area’s progress against the coronavirus out of the equation shows the rest of the U.S. moving in the wrong direction, with the infection rate rising even as states move to lift their lockdowns.
Here Come COVID-19 Tracing Apps - and Privacy Trade-Offs
As governments around the world consider how to monitor new coronavirus outbreaks while reopening their societies, many are starting to bet on smartphone apps to help stanch the pandemic. But their decisions on which technologies to use — and how far those allow authorities to peer into private lives — are highlighting some uncomfortable trade-offs between protecting privacy and public health.
Load More