Scaramucci, Frum square off on Maher: ‘A good anger management class would help’

Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci engaged in a heated exchange with a speechwriter for former President George W. Bush on Bill Maher’s HBO program on Friday night, with Scaramucci at one point suggesting David Frum take a suppository and an “anger management class.”

Scaramucci set the tone on “Real Time with Bill Maher” by joking about his short-lived stint as White House communications director in July 2017.

“If you could redo one thing during your time at the White House, what would it be?” Maher asked.

“The Ryan Lizza call,” Scaramucci responded. “I probably wouldn’t have had that one.”

In a phone interview with then-New Yorker writer Ryan Lizza on July 27, Scaramucci unloaded on White House senior officials, including then-chief strategist Stephen Bannon.

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“I’m not Steve Bannon, I’m not trying to suck my own c—,” Scaramucci said of Bannon during the Lizza call. “I’m not trying to build my own brand off the f—ing strength of the President. I’m here to serve the country.”

“In ten days you actually — ” Maher began to say before Scaramucci corrected him.

“Eleven. Or 954,000 seconds,” the former financier joked, before saying he was able to “get rid of the two biggest leakers” in the West Wing, an apparent reference to Bannon and former chief of staff Reince Priebus, who both left the White House, Priebus in late July and Bannon in August, citing unrelated reasons.

But things turned contentious when Frum asked Scaramucci about a business deal he made before joining the Trump administration.

“I have a question for you. Before you went into government, you received an enormous offer from a Chinese group, for the purchase of your company, $90 million, and after you came out the purchasers lost interest. How am I to understand that?”

Scaramucci said the question was “factually inaccurate” and Maher attempted to end the discussion after some crosstalk.

“OK, this is a different show. Nobody knows what you’re talking about and nobody cares,” the host said to Frum.

“It’s a set-up question,” Scaramucci said. “He’s trying to suggest that they were buying into the lobbying.”

“I curse a lot but I don’t curse on TV, but that’s B.S.,” he added.

“You don’t curse?” an amused Maher asked. “You’re the one who said Steve Bannon sucks his own c—.”

“I don’t think he’s anatomically capable of it,” Scaramucci deadpanned. “What David is trying to say is that the Chinese company bought my business as a favor to Trump.”

“Why are we going back to this?” asked Maher. “I see why you and Trump get along.”

After the show was over, Frum and Scaramucci appeared on the program’s online-only “Overtime” segment, where matters became even more contentious.

“Your anger toward Trump is clouding your judgment, by the way,” Scaramucci said to Frum. “A good anger management class would help you think a little more clearly.”

“Don’t let anger cloud your judgment — but don’t let your ambitions cloud your judgment,” Frum responded.

“What does that even mean?” said Scaramucci. “You talking about my ambition? I’d already lived a great life. I went in there to try to serve the country and help the middle and lower-class people that are struggling in this country.”

“You gotta wake up, brother. You’re living in an ivory tower. Snap out of it. Drop the anger,” he advised before suggesting Frum take a suppository.

“I’m not a weak guy,” said Frum.

“You’re mean, and you’re angry,” Scaramucci replied.

“I want to know what drug you’re on,” Maher asked Scaramucci. “He is very Michael Corleone. He doesn’t raise his voice, he’s a quiet killer.”

“I’m a little bit too honest, though,” Scaramucci said, before directing his next comment at Frum. “I’m not the typical backstabbing Washingtonian.”

Frum is a CNN contributor and joined The Atlantic in March 2014 as a senior politics editor.

Scaramucci launched his own news site, “The Scaramucci Post” in 2017. He once hosted “Wall Street Week” on Fox Business.