Sean Spicer resigned his position as White House press secretary on Friday due to his strong opposition to the appointment of Anthony Scaramucci as the new communications director.
Spicer told President Donald Trump that it was a mistake to give the position to Scaramucci, a Wall Street financier and longtime supporter of Trump's, the New York Times reports. Trump offered Scaramucci the position at 10 a.m. on Friday, according to the report.
Spicer tweeted Friday afternoon that it had been an "honor" to serve the White House and "this amazing country," adding he would stay on through August.
It's been an honor & a privilege to serve @POTUS @realDonaldTrump & this amazing country. I will continue my service through August
— Kayleigh McEnany 45 Archived (@PressSec45) July 21, 2017
He said Trump wanted him to stay but he wanted to give a "clean slate" to the White House, according to CNN.
Sean Spicer tells CNN's Dana Bash that he wanted to give the White House "a clean slate" by resigning https://t.co/RTf9sDGMx3
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 21, 2017
Scaramucci replaces Mike Dubke, who resigned the post in May.
ABC reporter Jonathan Karl tweeted Friday morning that Spicer slammed a door in his face when he went to ask him questions about Scaramucci's appointment.
Strange times -- I just went to ask @PressSec (@seanspicer) a question about @Scaramucci. He slammed the door in my face.
— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) July 21, 2017
Spicer had seen his public role in the administration scaled back significantly in recent months, with deputy Sarah Huckabee Sanders handling the majority of recent White House briefings.
White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus also reportedly opposed the selection of Scaramucci.
ABC reporter John Parkinson noted Spicer's tenure as press secretary lasted 183 days and he conducted 58 on-camera briefings.
.@seanspicer served as White House press secretary for 183 days, conducted 58 on-camera press briefings. https://t.co/yTDbJhja88
— John R Parkinson (@jparkABC) July 21, 2017
UPDATED 12:12 P.M.: This article was updated with further information about Spicer's tenure.
UPDATED: 1:48 P.M.: This article was updated with Spicer's tweet about his resignation.
UPDATED: 2:13 P.M.: This article was updated with Spicer's remarks about providing the White House a "clean slate" with his departure.