Anthony Scaramucci is Trump's new communications director

Washington : President Donald Trump has appointed longtime supporter and Wall Street financier Anthony Scaramucci as his new communications director, prompting the most-known public face of his scandal- hit administration, Sean Spicer, to quit as the White House press secretary.

The revamp comes amid investigations into Russia's alleged involvement in the US presidential election last year and whether Trump's campaign managers colluded with Moscow.

Scaramucci, 53, currently serves as the senior vice president and chief strategy officer at the Export-Import Bank. He will officially begin in



his new role on August 15.

'In this capacity, he will oversee the entire communications operation, including message development and strategy. He will report directly to the president,' the White House said.

His appointment preceded with the resignation of Spicer, whose tenure as the press secretary was overshadowed by the controversies he often landed himself into. Spicer's nearly six-month tenure began with a run-in with the US media over competing claims about the crowd size at Trump's inauguration and he was often mocked on popular TV shows for his aggressive attitude towards journalists.