Donald Trump's new spokesman Anthony Scaramucci in foul-mouthed tirade at White House rivals

Anthony Scaramucciwas brought in to be the new face of an embattled White House, the man to put a fresh gloss on its missteps and controversies.  

Yet after only a week into the job he is threatening to sack his entire staff as he hunts for leakers and has been caught badmouthing both the White House chief of staff and Donald Trump's chief strategist.

Rather than cleaning up the mess, he has exposed the administration's divisions to the world and ensured the behind-the-scenes tension explodes into a public war.

On Thursday morning he appeared on TV to all but accuse Reince Priebus, the chief of staff, of leaking against him. Hours later details emerged of an extraordinary telephone conversation with a journalist in which he launched a foul-mouthed tirade during which he said that Mr Priebus would be soon be asked to resign.

The day began with an unscheduled interview on CNN, prompted by his decision to call in by phone.

'Leakers would have been hanged 150 years ago'

“The fish stinks from the head down. But I can tell you two fish that don't stink, and that’s me and the president," he said, casting doubt on the rest of the staff and their motives.

It was the latest salvo in his hunt for the source of White House leaks. It is a cause close to the president's heart and Mr Scaramucci has made it clear that he answers only to Mr Trump.

He appeared to point the finger Mr Priebus, first in a rapidly deleted Tweet on Wednesday.

Then he further fanned the flames on CNN a day later, challenging Mr Priebus to deny he was the source.

“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," he said during the unscheduled 30-minute interview.

"So if Reince wants to explain he's not a leaker, let him do that. But let me tell you about myself. I'm a straight shooter and I'll go right to the heart of the matter."

His relationship with Mr Priebus was already fraught before he was appointed last Friday. The chief of staff was among the voices urging Mr Trump not to bring the Mooch, as he is nicknamed, into the White House earlier.

The latest spat was sparked by publication of an official document detailing Mr Scaramucci’s finances, even though it is available to anyone who asks.

On Wednesday evening, Mr Scaramucci was further angered when a reporter obtained details of a White House dinner.

He telephoned Ryan Lizza of The New Yorker to demand how he found out that he had dined with the president, first lady, a Fox News host and one of the network's former executives.

Mr Lizza promptly published the whole extraordinary exchange. He described how Mr Scaramucci threatened to sack everyone in the communications department if he did not reveal the source of his information. He also claimed Mr Priebus would soon be forced out.

“They’ll all be fired by me,” he said. “I fired one guy the other day. I have three to four people I’ll fire tomorrow. I’ll get to the person who leaked that to you.  “Reince Priebus—if you want to leak something—he’ll be asked to resign very shortly.” 

He went on to reportedly describe Mr Priebus as a "f****** paranoid schizophrenic" and described Steve Bannon, Mr Trump's chief strategist, in profane terms.

“I’m not Steve Bannon, I’m not trying to suck my own ****,” he said.

“I’m not trying to build my own brand off the ******* strength of the president. Im here to serve the country.

Mr Bannon “declined to comment.

'I made a mistake trusting a reporter'

Mr Scaramucci did not apologise for the tirade, but said he would try to clean up his language in the future.

“I sometimes use colorful language. I will refrain in this arena but not give up the passionate fight for @realDonaldTrump’s agenda, he tweeted.

Later on, he added: “I made a mistake in trusting in a reporter. It won’t happen again.”

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Scaramucci "used some colorful language - I don't think he will again."

The president's senior counselor, Kellyanne Conway, had earlier speculated in a Fox News interview that unnamed forces were out to get Scaramucci, saying: "Somebody is trying to get in his way and scare him off."

"There are leaks and then there are people using the press to shiv each other in the ribs," she said.

Meanwhile, no one in the White House took up for Mr Priebus - including Mr Priebus himself. Ms Sanders avoided giving a direct answer when asked whether Mr Trump has confidence in Mr Priebus.

Newt Gingrich, a former House speaker and frequent outside adviser to Mr Trump, said in an interview that Mr Scaramucci's attacks on Mr Priebus are problematic.

“They’ve got to get this sorted out between the two of them, and it would be nice if they didn’t do it in public,” he said.

'Ask Steve Bannon what happens if you get too much publicity'

Mr Trump’s unconventional campaign, staffed in the main by political outsiders, has translated into an unconventional White House, filled with officials who have little previous experience in politics.

That leaves the likes of Mr Priebus – who arrived from a more traditional post in the Republican Party – isolated and vulnerable amid the fall-out from the ongoing Russia investigation and the struggle to persuade Congress to repeal Obamacare.

Mr Scaramucci’s appointment immediately prompted the resignation of Sean Spicer, who had served as press secretary and was known as a close ally of the chief of staff.

Brad Gerstman, a New York lobbyist and public relations executive, said it probably doesn’t matter to Mr Trump that Mr Scaramucci and Mr Priebus don’t get along. Mr Gerstman has done projects for the Trump organisation and is a neighbor and longtime friend of Mr Scaramucci’s.

“In my experience, he’s of the belief that sometimes a little friction in the ranks is how you surface the best ideas,” Mr Gerstman said of Mr Trump.

Another rule of thumb in Mr Trump’s inner circle is that it’s never wise to outshine the president.

Mr Trump has reacted angrily when certain aides - including Mr Bannon and, briefly, son-in-law Jared Kushner - received outsized media attention.

Ari Fleischer, who served as press secretary under George W. Bush, said, “Ask Steve Bannon what happens if you get too much publicity and go too far.”

“It reminds me of Icarus flying too close to the sun.”