White House Director of Communications Anthony Scaramucci called into CNN’s “New Day” for an all-encompassing interview Thursday morning.
Read the full transcript:
ALISYN CAMEROTA: Ryan [Lizza, “The New Yorker” Washington Correspondent], so sorry to interrupt you right now. If you would stand by for a second that would be great because we actually have Anthony Scaramucci on the phone.
CHRIS CUOMO: Right, so, let’s get him. White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci joins us this morning. Anthony Scaramucci, can you hear us?
SCARAMUCCI: >> Yes. So, when i was speaking to you last night Ryan, I said it was unpatriotic that you would weren’t telling me who the leakers were. I was on a plane landing in New York, I have to go visit my mom, and so you may have caught it the wrong way. I was teasing you and it was sarcastic. It was one Italian to another, it wasn’t me trying to get you to say, if you could give me some sense for where they are, because I have a responsibility to the President of the United States —
CUOMO: Anthony —
SCARAMUCCI: when you said you didn’t, I totally respect your journalism and your integrity.
CUOMO: Anthony, hold on Anthony, I just want to make sure — I don’t know if Ryan can hear you.
RYAN LIZZA: I can.
CUOMO: But just in case, it did go out over the air so he heard what you meant when you were talking to him about being unpatriotic. Let’s just reset us at zero here. What’s going on in your perspective?
SCARAMUCCI: I want to reset at zero, but I also want you to know I just spent about 15 minutes on the phone talking with the President of the United States who has given me his full support and his full blessing, and I’m going to read you something, Chris, and you bear with me. And the President also told me, if you’re nice to me in this segment, he’ll let me come back on the show, is that cool? So why don’t you let me talk for a little bit and then you can ask me questions. But this is super, super important to the country, now, whether you agree with the President or you disagree with the President, you have to love the institution of the presidency. You have to love the office and you have to love our country and what is going on right now, I’ve done a major amount of work over the last five days. I’ve interviewed most of the assistants to the President. I’ve interviewed most of the people in the communications team in the White House and what the President and I would like to tell everybody, we have a very, very good idea of who the leakers are, who the senior leakers are in the White House. We’ll get to that in a second. What I also want to say is that we are working together, the President and myself and other members of his team and law enforcement to undercut and undercover — or out, if you will — the leakers in the entire country. As the President would say in his own words, the White House leakers are small potatoes. I’ll talk to you about a few leaks that happened last night that I find reprehensible. But the White House leaks are small potatoes relative to things that are going on with leaking things about Syria or North Korea or leaking things about Iraq. Those are the types of leaks that are so treasonous that 150 years ago people would have actually been hung for those types of leaks. So, the President brought me in, he knows I’m his friend first, Chris. You’re from New York, I’m from New York, the President is from New York. We had dinner last night. I sat next to the First Lady. I love the President. I’ve said that. I know the press wants to ridicule me for saying it six times from the podium. But we started out as friends. I am not a politician. I’m an American businessman and entrepreneur that have built two businesses and I try to play it straight with people. The President is trying to play it straight with people which is why he has 140 or 125 social media followers because they want to hear it straight from the President. And I said to the President this morning, I can’t afford to be a sycophant to you, sir. I have to talk to you straight as a friend so I can help you with this problem. And so what I want to say to you is I understand the law. I know that there was a public disclosure mechanism in my financial forms. What I’m upset about is the process and the junk pool, the dirty pool, Chris, in terms of the way this stuff is being done, and the leaking won’t stop. I can’t have a couple of friends up from “Fox & Friends” and Sean Hannity, who is one of my closest friends, to dinner with the President and his First Lady without it being leaked in seven minutes. It’s absolutely completely and totally reprehensible. As you know from the Italian expression, the fish stinks from the head down. What I can tell you two fish that don’t stink, okay, and that’s me and the President. I don’t like the activity that’s going on in the White House. I don’t like what they’re doing to my friend. I don’t like what they’re doing to the President of the United States or their fellow colleagues in the West Wing. If you want to talk about the Chief of Staff, we have had odds. We have had differences. When I said we were brothers from the podium, that’s because we’re rough on each other, some brothers are like Cain and Abel, other brothers can fight with each other and get along. I don’t know if this is repairable or not, that will be up to the President, but he’s the Chief of Staff. He’s responsible for understanding and uncovering and helping me do that inside the White House, which is why I put that tweet out last night. When the journalists who actually know who the leakers are — like Ryan Lizza — they know the leakers. Jonathan Swan at Axios — these guys know who the leakers are. I respect them for not telling me because I understand and respect journalistic integrity. However, when I put out a tweet and I put Reince’s name in a tweet, they’re all making the assumption that it’s him because journalists know who the leakers are. So if reince wants to explain that he’s not a leaker, let him do that. Let me tell you something about myself. I am a straight shooter and I’ll go right to the heart of the matter. Okay, so I’m done talking. You can ask me questions. But be nice on this segment, Chris, because this is a very serious matter of interest to all of America.
CUOMO: Well, Anthony, look, I know when you say be nice, you’re in part joking, because you know the job is to be fair. So let’s be fair in this situation and try and get a sense of what’s going on.
SCARAMUCCI: It’s that nuance, Chris, sometimes hard to pick it up on Twitter.
CUOMO: Ryan heard it. He accepts what you said.
SCARAMUCCI: Be fair. Be fair, Chris. The truth of the matter is, I’m used to all different types of questions. I’m used to meanness. It doesn’t matter to me. I’m here to play it straight for the American people and to protect my friend who is the President of the United States. Go ahead.
CUOMO: Understood, and Alisyn and I have felt the bite of personal comments from power as well, but we still do the job and we do it the right way because that’s what matters more. So let’s do that right now instead of talking about doing it.
SCARAMUCCI: Go ahead.
CUOMO: These tweets seem to indicate a problem that didn’t start today. And I’m not talking about the leaking. It is well known, Anthony Scaramucci, that Reince Priebus was against you getting a job in the administration. You’ve talked about it privately with reporters. He has denied it, but there are tons of reports that that denial is hollow. And when you named him in the tweet, it seems to call that. Where is your head on that situation, what do you believe the reality to be? Because it seems much more like Cain and Abel than it does brothers who can get along.
SCARAMUCCI: Here’s what I believe: after running two reasonably successful companies and one which the entire world knows I’m about to sell for $180 million dollars. Here is what I know, when you’re running a successful company or an organization, you can take this human equation to the bank: underconfidence plus insecurity always equals paranoia and backstabbing. And so what you have to do as a manager is you have to go through the process and assist them and figure out where the backstabbing is coming from. That will lead you to the people that are insecure or underconfident. If you can’t bolster them and make them better, then you have to remove them from the process because then it becomes addition by subtraction. That’s what i know.
CUOMO: Understood.
SCARAMUCCI: So I don’t want to talk about anybody specifically because we’re on a live television wire, but the people know. The journalists know. You know, the young kids in the coms team are taking a lot of heat from me right now. They know, Chris. The people know. You know who knows? The President of the United States. The President of the United States, again, whether you guys like the guy, you dislike the guy, he’s the smartest person that I’ve ever worked for. Okay so let “Vanity Fair” write about that. I honestly don’t care. He has intuition, he has judgment and he has a temperament in a way that I’ve never seen. Last night we were having dinner, I told his wife, I looked over to the First Lady and I said, I forgot how much fun I used to have when I hung out with him on the campaign trail. He’s a very interesting and very unique guy. There are people inside the administration that think it is their job to save America from this President. That is not their job. Their job is to inject this President into America so that he can explain his views properly and his policies so that we can transform America and drain the swamp and make the system fairer for the middle and lower income people.
CUOMO: Look, I understand that, anthony —
SCARAMUCCI: it is not their job from the establishment through calcification to sit there and try to withhold the president, to rein him in or do things to him that will slow down his agenda. That’s not their job.
CUOMO: Let’s talk about what we know a little bit. One is, yes, the President should be focused on making the lives of Americans better. It’s what he promised. It’s what the country needs. Understood. Two, leaks happen, especially in political situations. There are different types of leaks. Some are about national security–they can be dangerous, they have to be policed. Understood. Most are not that–
SCARAMUCCI: I agree with that.
CUOMO: — most are people surrounding a person in power who want to explain policy, who want to feed journalism, who have a lot of positive and benevolent intentions when they do so. Three, this White House leaks more than any I have ever been in contact with. And I think that they’re —
SCARAMUCCI: It’s ridiculous.
CUOMO: –but I don’t know if I’d use the word ridiculous because I think that a lot of the leaks–
SCARAMUCCI: Okay let me put it this way. How is this, chris? Unprofessional. You became a verbal proofreader overnight. How is unprofessional?
CUOMO: Listen, I’m careful about my words because they matter, Anthony. Here is what I’m saying. I got your point. I just want to clarify because I have a question.
SCARAMUCCI: There are good leaks and bad leaks. I’m really focused on the bad leaks. I know there’s always going to be —
CUOMO: Well, but you seem to be focused on both.
SCARAMUCCI: I’m focused on leaks that hurt the institution of the President and the President himself. I understand we have to leak things to reporters to help shape policy or try to balloon things or do tests on ideas or people for different jobs. I’m talking about nefarious, unnecessary, backstabbing, palace intrigue-like leaks. That’s what I’m talking about.
CUOMO: Well, and I understand why personally and politically that would be a problem, but the other concern with this —
SCARAMUCCI: Those are the leaks the President and I are working together on to try to stop. I’m sorry?
CUOMO: –I understand why that would be a personal incentive for you. I get it. But what I’m saying is, it does seem as though the President has used leaks as a distraction from the substance and content of the investigation with Russia and that probe specifically, that he wants people to focus on where the information comes from let alone than the information itself.
SCARAMUCCI: Here we go again. Here we go again. I’ll say to the American people today. I’ll say it tomorrow and I’ll say it until the investigation ends. And I said it to you a couple weeks ago. I’ll sit with you when the investigation is over and all these people are exonerated, I’ll come and sit on the couch or the chair by you and we’ll talk about that. I believe, as does the President, that there’s nothing to the investigation. So, we want to go back to the Russian investigation on this segment, we can do that, but it’s just not true. It’s just not true. You’re saying we’re using leaks —
CUOMO: No, I’m bringing it up because it’s relevant, Anthony, because that’s when leaks —
SCARAMUCCI: — russian investigation and all this nonsense —
CUOMO: — but that’s why the president brought them up in the first place.
SCARAMUCCI: I think it’s a bigger problem that that, Chris.
CUOMO: it maybe to you. I’m just saying that the concern journa–
SCARAMUCCI: Let’s try on CNN for like maybe five minutes not to focus on the Russia investigation.
CUOMO: Unfair. Unfair, Anthony. Anthony, I brought you on this show this morning to give you a chance to clarify something that people were beating you over the head with because I wasn’t sure it was fair.
SCARAMUCCI: Alright, for five minutes let’s not go to Russia, why don’t we go to Russia at the end of the segment. Let’s get the gun on the bird — and let’s talk about what’s going on.
CUOMO: Contextually, you said you want to be straight. You said you want to do the job the right way.
SCARAMUCCI: — and let’s talk about what’s going on inside the White House, and going on inside these departments and inside the intergovernmental agencies, that we need to stop because we’re American citizens —
CUOMO: Fine.
SCARAMUCCI: — and the people that are working in those jobs have to honor those jobs —
CUOMO: Fine, fine.
SCARAMUCCI: — and they have to honor the position they have. Like i said about the West Wing, if there’s 300 people working there and there’s 300 million people the country, you’re one in a million. Why don’t you honor the job? You remember Joe Paterno? What would he say? Act like you’ve been there before. Act with honor and dignity and respect and hold the confidence of the presidency and his office. Why don’t we do that? And if you want to leak something, you can have a new Director of Communications and if it’s a leak that’s going to help the presidency, why don’t we do that.
CUOMO: Understood and that’s something you have to police politically.
SCARAMUCCI: A couple more minutes without russia and then ask a few more questions, but we can go to russia at the end of the segment. Go ahead.
CUOMO: We both know I’m going to ask what I think is important and we both know I have trouble taking direction. So, the reason I brought up Russia —
SCARAMUCCI: We know that. we know that from our hometown.
CUOMO: The reason that i brought up russia was because contextually that’s when the president started banging on leaks because he didn’t like that information was coming out about it, he didn’t like the implications of it politically. So he wanted to focus on the leaks instead of the substance. i’m saying journalistically that is a concern. Politically, I get why you want to police message within your house, I get it.
SCARAMUCCI: Well, let me push back on that. I didn’t study that like Quincy. I wasn’t a coroner studying that. Remember the Jack Klugman show?
CUOMO: He was a medical examiner, not a coroner, but continue.
SCARAMUCCI: Well, whatever it was. Medical examiner. I wasn’t studying it back then. Okay, that’s a narrative that I think is a false narrative and I’m going to push back for the President.
CUOMO: What is the false narrative?
SCARAMUCCI: The false narrative is oh he doesn’t like the leaks coming out on Russia so he’s pushing back.
CUOMO: It’s 100% true.
SCARAMUCCI: Okay, but that isn’t true.
CUOM: It’s a 100% true. You just said it’s true. You just said he doesn’t like those leaks. Those are part of the leaks he doesn’t like.
SCARAMUCCI: Scandal is incorporated, another fake scandal that we’re going to manufacture–
CUOMO: There’s nothing fake about the Russia investigation–
SCARAMUCCI: The collusion, Chris —
CUOMO: — there’s nothing fake about the emails that Don Jr. put out of Russians trying to work him over.
SCARAMUCCI: Forget about the hacking and all the other stuff, we’re going to get into the hacking later. I’m talking about the collusion of the campaign with the Russians and the Russian government. That’s the specific thing that I’m talking about which you and I both know they can’t find any evidence of anywhere. Now you want to talk about the fact that the Russians could have possibly hacked into the system and done something with —
CUOMO: not possibly, they did.
SCARAMUCCI: — Hillary Clinton’s emails or something like that. We can debate that later.
CUOMO: But, I’m saying that’s where the leaks stuff started with the President.
SCARAMUCCI: I’ll stay on the side with the President. And I said this to Jake Tapper over the weekend. If the Russians really hacked that thing, they could possibly be clever enough not to leave any footprints. So the President is skeptical. While we talked last night at dinner — I hope he’s not mad at me for relaying this on tv, but I’m going to relay it. He said that he thought for sure that after reading all this stuff as an outsider that there were actually weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. He said that last night. And then he said there obviously weren’t weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, so he has his guard up as it relates to some of the things that people say definitively and declaratively. The CIA director at that time said that the information related to weapons of mass destruction was a quote-on-quote slam dunk. I’m not going to bring the guy’s name up because he’s a terrific guy and he made a mistake, big deal. The point is when you say that we know definitively or Jake Tapper says that he knows definitively, thank god we have president Donald J. Trump in the room that’s going to have a little bit of a skepticism and a cautious eye on this stuff, protecting the American people and particularly American servicemen.
CUOMO: Except you’re leaving one part out, Anthony. You’re leaving out that the reason Jake Tapper or any journalist talks about this is because the Director of National Intelligence, the head of CIA, the guys the President put in say it.
SCARAMUCCI: Before you say all that, I’m trying to give your viewers insight into the President’s personality. The President says all the time, there is one country in the world that can take our country out in 35 minutes. I don’t know if they have 8,700 nukes, whatever the numbers are, it’s a big number. It’s incumbent upon us and it’s incumbent upon them, whatever you think of them, that we try to get along with each other. Go to the next question. Go ahead.
CUOMO: It’s just that contextually that’s why I brought it up. It’s not that we have some untoward fascination with an investigation. We do it because it threatens the foundation of the democracy. You know that. You know it matters.
SCARAMUCCI: I know it matters and I’m going to say it again —
CUOMO: the President should know should know it matters. The President should know that questioning —
SCARAMUCCI: — and Kellyanne Conway has said it. I’ll say it and the President has said it —
CUOMO: — that questioning his own intel chiefs is just an odd strategy for a President.
SCARAMUCCI: — if he finds [inaudible] definitive smoking gun proof, he will take action. He’s looking at these sanctions right now. He may decide to veto the sanctions —
CUOMO: Why?
SCARAMUCCI: — and be tougher on the Russians than the Congress.
CUOMO: So you think that if he vetoes it, it’s because he wants something tougher than what they have in the sanctions bill?
SCARAMUCCI: He may sign the sanctions exactly the way they are, or he may veto the sanctions and negotiate an even tougher deal against the Russians. He is a counterintuitive, counterpunching personality. Let me tell you, I was in Youngstown, Ohio, with him. You cannot believe the fan base there. The American people get it. The American people like what he’s doing. The establishment does not like what he’s doing. He’s going to disrupt the establishment.
CUOMO: Why do you call the majority of America the establishment? Why do you call them that? Because it’s a disparaging thing. It’s meant to be an insult. Why? Why insult the majority of the country?
SCARAMUCCI: I didn’t hear the question. Say it again.
CUOMO: Why insult the majority of the country by calling them them the establishment, like they’re some type of other?
SCARAMUCCI: I’m not insulting the majority of the country.
CUOMO: Well, the majority of the country —
SCARAMUCCI: you’re really good with the verbal proofreading this morning.
CUOMO: No, Anthony, I’m saying it because polls make it clear that the majority of America doesn’t approve of the President right now. So when you say his critics, you’re talking about the majority of the country. I know he has his fan base. Look, I mean we saw it in the general election. We saw it in the popular vote. We see it in every poll that comes out, your own internal numbers.
SCARAMUCCI: Oh here we go. Alright, he won the election. Let’s talk about where the approval ratings are right now. When you micro analyze the approval ratings, there’s aspects, and the questions come in, I ove the President but I dislike x, y, z or I love the President, I dislike x, y, z. Once we start executing the President’s agenda and once we talk clearly and directly to the American people and we get the American people to light up the Congress’s switchboard, to help us execute the President’s agenda, that’s the only way we’re going to really be able to drain the swamp.
CUOMO: Isn’t the leak investigation a distraction from the agenda? Isn’t a big part of this leak investigation a distraction from that agenda?
SCARAMUCCI: How is it a distraction? We have to clamp down the leaks. The President and I are working together with a large group of people now to suppress and clamp down the nefarious nature of these leaks. And again I’m talking about the stuff going on with leaking on Syria, North Korea. And like i said, the President views the White House leaks, a lot of this stuff as small potatoes. I mean I can’t even have dinner with the guy, seven minutes later, five journalists know I’m having dinner with him and they have the guest list. I don’t know. is that how we should be running the White House? You know we shouldn’t be running the White House like that.
CUOMO: Look I totally get why you want integrity of purpose within your White House. I think that your desire to be straight about it is important. I think that’s why these tweets last night got you in a little bit of trouble and I wanted to give you a chance to clarify it.
SCARAMUCCI: Let me tell you something. I work for one person. I report to the President of the United States. I spoke with him for 15 minutes this morning. I’m far from in trouble.
CUOMO: I’m not saying you’re in trouble, but I’m saying the tweets and deleting the tweets.
SCARAMUCCI: I have his full support. Only thing he said to me is you’re going on Chris Cuomo’s show, he better be nice to you this morning otherwise I’m not going to let you go on, but you’re doing a good job so far. Keep going, you have any other questions?
CUOMO: It’s not the job to be nice. It’s to be fair. You know that, Anthony.
SCARAMUCCI: Okay. I’m using his words and they’re very playful and so let me make sure I’m getting the nuance to you. These are playful jocular words.
CUOMO: I know, I just want everyone else to know.
SCARAMUCCI: So when i say to Ryan Lizza you’re being unpatriotic, I understand and completely and totally respect journalistic integrity–
CUOMO: I got it, now let me ask you a question that matters —
SCARAMUCCI: — I wasn’t a journalist, but I did play one on TV and the journalists are figuring out whether they’re on the left or on the right. I’m going to treat them with respect, dignity and kindness because they’re a member of the fourth estate, we all believe in the first amendment. We’re given the opportunity to review everything that we’re doing.
CUOMO: I don’t know any journalist who’s trying to figure that out if they’re on the left or the right–
SCARAMUCCI: — crystal clear transparency, Chris —
CUOMO: I don’t know any journalist who’s trying to figure that out. Journalists know exactly where they’re supposed to be when it comes to politics. Let me ask you something. I want to give you a chance to clarify something.
SCARAMUCCI: I don’t understand what that meant. What did you mean?
CUOMO: You said as journalists are trying to figure out if they’re on the left or the right. I don’t know any journalist who’s trying to figure out if they’re on the left or the right.
SCARAMUCCI: No that’s not what I said. Journalists are trying to figure out the administration. Let me rephrase it. It want to be very clear this morning. As the journalists are trying to figure out the administration, whether they are on the left or the right, I want to offer them dignity —
CUOMO: Okay.
SCARAMUCCI: — and class and kindness in their pursuit. I get the fourth estate and I understand why the first amendment is embedded in the Constitution. I’m not — I’m just talking about the spectrum of journalists that come into the White House compound. We’re going to treat them with respect and dignity and kindness. We’re going to hope that they do the same to us. They have to be fair and tough like you are, no question about that. I’m making a different point. I’m a crystal clear, transparent person. I’m far from in trouble. I don’t like what’s going on. I know the financial form. It came available 13 seconds ago, and I understand the sausage factory and the process of the way it was leaked. It’s dishonest. It’s shady.
CUOMO: I get you.
SCARAMUCCI: It’s dirty pool. Pick another neighborhood expression from Queens. You know it’s not right.
CUOMO: I understand.
SCARAMUCCI: But what it’s done to do is done to weaken me and undermine me with the president and my teammates. but my teammates know me. My teammates know that I’m there to support them and help them, and all of us have got to band together to support the President. I speak with the right pronouns. It’s we and our. It’s never me or I, Chris.
CUOMO: It’s important. when you’re in government, you have to surrender the me to the we when you’re in government.
SCARAMUCCI: He’s our leader and one of the smartest people that I’ve ever met, if not the smartest. He’s just smart in a different way than maybe some of the people in the journalist community don’t like. But I’m super happy that he’s our President, and so will the American people — whatever that approval rating is now, it’s going up. Because we’re going to execute the agenda and he’s going to get re-elected. I told Tapper, I’ll send him a box of Kleenex.
CUOMO: I don’t know why you said that, by the way.
SCARAMUCCI: I’ll send him a box of Kleenex when he wins the election in 2020.
CUOMO: Jake Tapper is one of the most straight down-the-middle guys. It’s insulting when you say that. It’s insulting when you say that.
SCARAMUCCI: Let’s focus on right now [inaudible] what’s that?
CUOMO: It’s insulting when you say something like that to Jake Tapper, by the way.
SCARAMUCCI: I’m teasing him.
CUOMO: But that’s not a nice thing to tease a journalist about.
SCARAMUCCI: You guys are unbelievable. You’re allowed to hit me [inaudible] with a battle axe–
CUOMO: It’s like teasing us about being Italian. It’s not nice, it’s offensive. When you say to a journalist I’ll bring you a Kleenex, because you’ll be upset if the President gets reelected you’re suggesting that they’re biased. It’s not nice.
SCARAMUCCI: Okay, okay, Chris, I’ll tell you what. You’ll send me toilet paper if he loses. I’m making a joke. What I love about you guys, you hit me three times hard, I say something teasing, you guys get upset.
CUOMO: You think this is hard?
SCARAMUCCI: Relax.
CUOMO: I’m giving you pats on the head like you’re a puppy. These are just regular questions.
SCARAMUCCI: Finally we’re having a real straight-up conversation.
CUOMO: Let me ask you something straight up —
SCARAMUCCI: Just relax.
CUOMO: One of the reasons that people from Politico wanted the disclosure form, another journalist did, is that there’s a question about what happens with your relationship with Skybridge and whether or not you’ll still benefit or profit from Skybridge while working with the White House. What is your response?
SCARAMUCCI: I’m not benefiting from Skybridge. I don’t understand how I could be benefiting from Skybridge. I’m entitled to some, because of my ownership in Skybridge, I’m entitled to some residual profits. I’m happy to fully disclose that because they’re releasing all this information, trying to hit me and eject me.They tried to foul me from coming into the West Wing. Now that I’m there, they’re trying to figure out a way to eject me from the West Wing. My official start date got moved up by friends of mine in the White House counsel’s office because they know what’s going on. I was supposed to start on August 15th. They got me effective yesterday to try to protect me. I appreciate those guys very much. People know what’s going on. So now they’re going to say how is he making money? I sold Skybridge.Ii don’t work there anymore. There’s residual profits that once the sale occurs I’m going to receive. But I’m not on salary. I don’t have a W2 there. What do you want me to tell you?
CUOMO: Just the truth. And that’s what the disclosure form was for.
SCARAMUCCI: That’s what I’m telling you. And, by the way, I went through that disclosure form with a fine-tooth comb. Guess what? There could be a typo or an error there. Someone will maybe find that. I’m sure there’s 400 journalists pouring over it. One of you guys has my cell phone —
CUOMO: As they should.
SCARAMUCCI: — give me a call if there’s a mistake —
CUOMO: I always will.
SCARAMUCCI: — and I’ll resubmit it.
CUOMO: I always will.
SCARAMUCCI: I didn’t make the mistake out of dishonesty or fallaciousness. I’m a very transparent guy.
CUOMO: I understand and look, it’s unusual that we’ve been dealing with a lack of transparency when it comes to finances in the administration. It’s good to get information on a disclosure form that we can discuss because we should know about the financial integrity of the people who are running our government.
SCARAMUCCI: Hey Chris, in the neighborhood I grew up in, I’m never going to dishonor my parents by doing something wrong. These guys have op-o’d me for six months, they’re scratching their heads, they can’t find anything. 29 years on Wall Street and an Italian last name, not one trading violation, not one U-4 violation, not one ADV part one or part two violation. They can’t find anything because I would never dishonor my dad by hurting my last name by doing something stupid for money or for power. I’m not doing it. It’s not my personality. So 29 years on wall street, you guys can’t find anything. Keep looking. Okay, go ahead.
CUOMO: Last question here. You suggested in the tweet that — or it was suggested in the reporting by Ryan Lizza that you had gone to the FBI. If this is about dirty pool politics, should the FBI be involved in that?
SCARAMUCCI: I talked to Attorney General Sessions. He’s on his way to El Salvador right now to talk about ms-13. It’s a little early. I’ve got buddies of mine in the FBI that I’ll be calling.
CUOMO: That’s interesting timing, that the same time the President is beating up Sessions he’s out of the country to El Salvador.
SCARAMUCCI: He’s out of the country doing his job, doing his job, let him do his job.
CUOMO: So should the FBI or DOJ be investigating who leaked your disclosure form?
SCARAMUCCI: I don’t know. I don’t know.
CUOMO: Well, you talked to them about it, right?
SCARAMUCCI: You know why I like bringing up to the Department of Justice or the FBI, because people who have done things that are wrong, it makes them nervous, Chris. I haven’t done anything wrong so I am not nervous at all. But when people do things wrong and you mention the FBI and Department of Justice — I told the President this morning, when the iceberg hits the boat, the rats start flying up from steerage, right, because the water comes in in steerage. So, when you mention the FBI and Department of Justice, you watch how the rats lift in the boat —
CUOMO: I understand, but you know what the problem is is that you’re putting — the boat gets put into the iceberg. The iceberg does not hit the boat. And my point of the analogy correction is —
SCARAMUCCI: Okay, that’s really cute. You’re doing a good job this morning. That’s a really cute way to spin my metaphor, but you get the point that I’m making.
CUOMO: And I’m making a point as well which is, if you have the FBI chasing down stuff like dirty politics, is that the best use of their time?
SCARAMUCCI: No, no, no, that’s what I just said. Remember what I said, I’m really trying to be careful this morning. If there is illegality or impropriety in the process —
CUOMO: Okay, that’s something different.
SCARAMUCCI: I’m not asking them to do dirty politics and all that nonsense. I’m just going here are the laws, have any laws been broken? If no laws have been broken, no FBI, no Department of Justice. But, I like mentioning them because I know knee-knockers when I see them and their knees will start knocking.
CUOMO: And you don’t want to call people out, but obviously Reince Priebus is out there and do you have concerns about him?
SCARAMUCCI: Say that again.
CUOMO: Reince Priebus’ name is connected to this every time it comes out in the last 24 hours. Do you have concerns about him?
SCARAMUCCI: Reince Priebus can speak to you about that and he can address that himself.
CUOMO: All right, we will ask him.
SCARAMUCCI: People know my history between me and Reince. I can speak for my own actions. He’s going to need to speak for his own actions. But, I think we’re going to go on too long now. So, I’m going to take one last question and then I’m going to hang up.
CUOMO: That’s it.
SCARAMUCCI: I’m committed, as is the President, to building as clean of a shop as possible. No more dirty pool, no more dishonesty, no more ha, ha, ha to your face and then stab you in the back. Okay, we’re New Yorkers. We don’t want to run the place like that. We want to run an honest and clean shop so we can affect the President’s agenda.
CUOMO: Good.
SCARAMUCCI: With that i’ll say good-bye and I appreciate the opportunity of being on. And some day you will let Alisyn interview me, at least once.
CUOMO: Alisyn has interviewed you.
SCARAMUCCI: — and that’s actually a joke, Chris, just so you know.
CAMEROTA: I hope it’s not a joke. I look forward to interviewing you Anthony.
CUOMO: You know she actually sits right here, I know you’re on the phone Anthony, but —
SCARAMUCCI: >> I’m just throwing that in there Alisyn because he dominates all these segments.
CAMEROTA: Thank you, Anthony. I appreciate that, but I know that you guys had your own agreement and I honor that, that you guys had an agreement that you guys worked out. But, I look forward to the next time you come on interviewing you.
SCARAMUCCI: Okay, that’s a deal.
CUOMO: Thank you for honoring it. Anybody can measure this conversation, you did most of the talking as you should because this is about you making your case and I’ll tell you what, I respect the intentions that you state, Anthony, which is you’re going to treat people with civility and decency. It’d be a welcome change in the dynamic.
SCARAMUCCI: I think you can ask your journalists there from your shop, that’s exactly what we’re trying to do.
CUOMO: It will be a welcome change.
SCARAMUCCI: I appreciate it, sir. You guys have a good day.
CUOMO: You, too.