Anthony Scaramucci Threatens To Sue Tufts Student And Newspaper

SOMERVILLE, MA – Tufts University postponed a scheduled event with Anthony Scaramucci Monday after the former White House communications director threatened to sue a graduate student and the school newspaper. Scaramucci, a Tufts alum, has been a member of the advisory board at Tufts' Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy since last year.

Earlier this month, graduate student Camilo Caballero penned an op-ed in the Tufts Daily questioning Scaramucci's role on the board. Caballero cited Scaramucci's "profanity-laced comments" to The New Yorker about now-former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, the Scaramucci Post poll about the Holocaust ("How many Jews were killed?") and said Scaramucci "sold his soul" for his 10-day stint in the Trump White House.

"A man who is irresponsible, inconsistent, an unethical opportunist and who exuded the highest degree of disreputability should not be on the Fletcher Board," Caballero wrote. He urged administrators to heed a petition signed by over 240 students, faculty and alumni calling for Scaramucci's removal from the board.

Last week, a lawyer representing Scaramucci sent a letter to the Tufts Daily and Caballero demanding a retraction and apology for the original Nov. 6 op-ed, as well as a follow-up column Nov. 13. The letter, dated Nov. 21, is signed by attorney Samuel J. Lieberman and claims several of Caballero's statements, including referring to Scaramucci as an "unethical opportunist" and "a man who makes his Twitter accessible to friends interested in giving comfort to Holocaust deniers," are "false and defamatory."

Caballero, a student at the Fletcher School, told the Boston Globe he believes Scaramucci is trying to use his wealth and power to intimidate him.

"He’s trying to stop me from exercising my First Amendment right, and that’s plain wrong," Caballero said in a Globe interview.

Scaramucci's scheduled appearance at the Fletcher School was billed by the university as an opportunity for him to discuss his "experiences in the private and public sectors, and lessons learned." He said he backed the "free-speech rights" of the members of the Tufts community who had signed the petition and was looking forward to Monday's event to start a dialogue with students, the Globe reported.

But instead of addressing an audience at Tufts, Scaramucci spent Monday morning responding to Twitter backlash over his threat of legal action. MSNBC anchor Joy Reid compared the move to something out of his former boss's playbook; PEN America Executive Director Suzanne Nossel chastised him for "menacing" student media; and one Tufts student drew parallels with Russian tactics for stifling journalists.

In an emailed statement to the Boston Globe, a Tufts spokesperson said the school is "disappointed" in Scaramucci's actions and his visit will be postponed until "legal matters are resolved."

Also See: Scaramucci Still A Media Surrogate For Trump

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