White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci told Chris Cuomo on Wednesday morning that "I'm straightly not answering your question" when the CNN host asked about the resignation Tuesday of senior assistant press secretary Michael Short.
Scaramucci said that someone above his rank wanted Short out of his White House position. When Cuomo asked Scaramucci who above his rank told him to fire the aide, Scaramucci said that he would not answer the question.
"I didn't answer the question, Chris," Scaramucci said. "See, I'm getting so subtle and surgical in terms of the way I talk to you guys."
"You're as subtle as a heart attack," Cuomo responded.
After a quick tangent, Cuomo brought the conversation back to his original question.
"Did the president tell you, 'Get rid of this guy, he's one of the leakers?'" Cuomo asked.
"I'm not going to answer that question because I just said I wasn't going to answer it," Scaramucci said.
"Yeah, I know, but what happened to being straight?" Cuomo asked in reference to Scaramucci saying he would tell it to him straight earlier in the interview.
"I'm straightly, straightly not answering your question," Scaramucci said.
Cuomo responded that, by not answering the question, Scaramucci was insinuating that it was President Donald Trump who asked him to fire Short.
"Chris, I already answered it. You're just not really a derivative thinker," he added. "I said somebody above my rank, go read the press release."
"You're hurting my feelings, Anthony," Cuomo said.