WASHINGTON - Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, quit his position on Friday after telling President Donald Trump he disagreed with the hiring of Anthony Scaramucci as communications director, reports said. The New York Times said Trump had offered Scaramucci, a New York financier, the job on Friday morning and requested that Spicer stay on. But Spicer told Trump he believed Scaramucci's appointment was a major mistake, the Times said, according to a person with knowledge of the exchange. Scaramucci founded the investment firm SkyBridge Capital, and the SALT hedge-fund conference. He regularly defended Trump on television during the campaign and was a campaign fundraiser. Spicer was communications director at the Republican National Committee before joining the Trump team. The 45-year-old was known for being combative with White House reporters and the subject of lampoons by comedian Melissa McCarthy on "Saturday Night Live." Spicer's tenure got off to a controversial start when he said Trump's inauguration was "the most watched ever," a statement that was later debunked. In recent weeks, Spicer has briefed the press less regularly. Principal deputy White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has instead frequently taken the podium at the White House briefings, which have been held off camera. There has not been an on-camera briefing since June 29.
