Scaramucci lashes colleagues in communications meltdown

Open warfare erupted inside President Donald Trump's inner circle as his new communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, attacked senior White House colleagues in obscene comments published on Thursday.

Scaramucci blasted White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and Trump's chief strategist, Steve Bannon, in an article in The New Yorker based on a telephone conversation on Wednesday night between one of the magazine's correspondents and Scaramucci.

Less than a week into his new job, Scaramucci called Priebus a "f*cking paranoid schizophrenic" and accused Bannon of trying to build his own brand "off the f*cking strength of the president."

The former Wall Street financier was named to the communications post last Friday, prompting the immediate resignation of then White House press secretary Sean Spicer.

After The New Yorker article appeared online, Scaramucci, indicated he would not back down, appearing to blame the messenger: "I sometimes use colorful language. I will refrain in this arena but not give up the passionate fight for @realDonaldTrump's agenda ... I made a mistake in trusting in a reporter. It won't happen again."