Meet Anthony Scaramucci, The New White House Communications Director

The Trump administration has reportedly chosen hedge fund guy turned professional job-wanter Anthony Scaramucci as its new White House communication director. Who is THE MOOCH? Fortunately, he has told us at length, in his own words.

Until earlier this year, Scaramucci was the head of Skybridge Capital, a hedge fund “fund of funds” that charged clients a fee in order to select hedge funds for them to invest in (funds which then charged them more fees. Good business model!). He also hosts a show on Fox Business Network, runs a popular hedge fund industry conference, and generally acts a happy mouthpiece for the most secretive segment of the finance world.

Scaramucci was a Romney fundraiser in 2012. During the 2016 campaign, he started out raising money for Scott Walker, then switched to Jeb Bush, and finally landed on Trump, soliciting Wall Street money for the president-to-be. After Trump won, Scaramucci sold his firm in the expectation he would be getting a White House job. Then he waited… and waited… and waited… it got to be a little embarrassing. Eventually he was slotted into a dreary post at the Export-Import bank, but now, it seems, his ship has arrived.

A natural media hound (though a schmoozer more than a PR guy), Scaramucci has found a job that suits him. Here are two interviews with him and a feature that should give you some idea of who he is.

In 2015, we interviewed him about the hedge fund industry and inequality. “I don’t think I need to be an apologist for working hard and being a very large taxpayer.”
In 2016, we interviewed him about being Trump’s man on Wall Street. “I’ll make a prediction right now that he will not put a ban on Muslims coming into America.”
And here is a feature about this year’s SALT Conference, the annual hedge fund industry gathering in Las Vegas orchestrated by Scaramucci.