White House press secretary Sean Spicer resigns

vostok

vostok

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White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has quit, reportedly in protest at a shake-up of the communications team.

Mr Spicer stepped down because he was unhappy with President Donald Trump's appointment of a new communications director, reports the New York Times.

Combative Wall Street financier Anthony Scaramucci has been picked for the role that Mr Spicer partially filled.

Mr Spicer's press briefings were a cable news hit, but he withdrew from camera in recent weeks.

The shake-up comes as the White House faces inquiries into alleged Russian meddling in last year's US presidential election and whether Mr Trump's campaign team colluded with Moscow.

The New York Times reports that 45-year-old Mr Spicer "vehemently" disagreed with the appointment of Mr Scaramucci, which he believed to be a "major mistake".

Spicer's low points
  • inflating crowd sizes at Trump inauguration at first briefing

  • his appearance, particularly his suits, reportedly criticised by Trump

  • saying Hitler never used chemical weapons and referring to Holocaust "centres"

  • butt of text message joke by adviser Steve Bannon about his weight

  • defending Trump "covfefe" tweet by saying it had hidden meaning

  • frozen out of meeting with the Pope in Rome, despite being devout Catholic

  • not invited to Paris for Trump visit
The search for a new appointment began after Mike Dubke resigned from the communications director job in May.

Mr Spicer has been serving as both press secretary and communications director since Mr Dubke's exit.

"It's been an honor & a privilege to serve @POTUS @realDonaldTrump & this amazing country," Mr Spicer tweeted.

"I will continue my service through August".

The BBC's White House reporter Tara McKelvey says journalists have besieged the sprawling 18-acre complex so they can film Mr Spicer leaving the executive mansion.

Members of the media were shouting and pushing as they crowded round a door leading to the lower press office, seeking answers for the press secretary's exit.

The reporters quietened down somewhat when they were assured that the deputy press secretary would hold a briefing on Friday afternoon.

On day one in January, Mr Spicer set the tone of his relationship with the press by bursting into the briefing room to berate journalists for their reporting of crowd numbers at President Trump's inauguration.

His proclivity for gaffes and garbling of his words, as well as making debatable assertions, soon saw Mr Spicer's name trending on Twitter.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40687521
 
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