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Anthony Scaramucci accuses Donald Trump of "early stage fascism"
22 December 2019, 15:35 | Updated: 22 December 2019, 16:12
In an explosive LBC interview, the former Director of Communications for Donald Trump reveals the "Shawshank Redemption" experience of working for the US President, accusing him of "early stage fascism".
"It's dangerous for America and the world if he gets re-elected," Anthony Scaramucci warned listeners just days after President Trump was impeached by the US House of Representatives.
"He's mishandled just about everything - he's hurt our hard and soft power globally and we've got European leaders, including your Prime Minister, laughing at him at the NATO summit meetings.
"He's mishandled the North Korean situation. He's botched the Chinese trade situation and his bellicosity of rhetoric is anti-American."
Asked whether President Trump shows signs of fascism, Mr Scaramucci replied: "He has elements of fascism. You know, somebody asked me if he had early stage dementia - I don't know about that - but he certainly has early stage fascism.
"Yes, he's a bully, he acts tyrannical and if you look down the Umberto Eco checklist of fascism he is six for 14 on the list, so he's getting there.
"Yeah, I mean, he has fascist tendencies. But remember I didn't just work for him in 2017 - I worked for him for the full year in 2016 and I was on his presidential transition team.
"When I caution people, I say think like an entrepreneur. We had two choices - we had a portfolio company called the United States and we picked Donald Trump to be the CEO of our portfolio company, we only had two choices. He's gone on and been a disastrous CEO."
On the recent impeachment vote in the House of Representatives and whether Mr Trump will be removed from office, Scaramucci doesn't "see how he's going to be able to withstands" testimony from witnesses.
"Look at the facts presented in the case, he has actually done something that the founding fathers of the United States were warning against.
"He used the power of his office to go after an individual citizen, in this case being Joe Biden, but he's also done it with the CEO of Boeing, the CEO of Lockheed.
"I mean, you know, he went after my wife - he uses the power of the presidency to go after private citizens and when you go down the checklist of fascism, those things are right on the checklist.
"So to me, it is a crime, it's bribery, it's blackmail, and when the primary witnesses are called, if they're able to testify, somebody like Mulvaney or somebody like Bolton, I think the President would have to leave.
"I don't see how he's going to be able to withstand the primary witness testimony."
Mr Trump has called for an immediate trial in the Republican-controlled Senate to determine whether he should be removed from office, confident he would win the vote.