REINCE PRIEBUS IS YET ANOTHER SUBORDINATE TOUGH-GUY TRUMP CAN'T BRING HIMSELF TO FIRE

I'm starting to understand why President Trump won't fire Jeff Sessions -- Senate Republicans' threat not to consider a replacement this year might be sincere, though I'm sure they'd ultimately rubber-stamp one.

But why can't the president fire Reince Priebus? There's no chance that a constitutional crisis would ensue. And the president clearly has a favorite for the job, even though he just gave that favorite another job: Anthony Scaramucci, who's already rumored to be Priebus's likely successor. Instead, we get Scaramucci publicly trying to motivate Priebus to quit, because -- again -- tough-guy Trump won't issue a pink slip.

White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci said Thursday morning that a tweet he sent the night before about leaks was not a veiled threat to chief of staff Reince Priebus.

"In light of the leak of my financial disclosure info which is a felony. I will be contacting @FBI and the @TheJusticeDept, he tweeted Wednesday night, adding, "#swamp @Reince45."

Scaramucci was referring to a story published by Politico, which reported that the new White House communications director continues to profit from the sale of his hedge fund SkyBridge Capital. The financial disclosure forms, however, are publicly available, notes the Politico report, which links to them....

Asked if he was accusing Priebus of leaking, he told CNN, "I am not. I am saying senior officials are working on this together."

I didn't watch it, but Scaramucci's appearance on CNN this morning was apparently bizarre:

4. @Scaramucci just now: "150 years ago people would have been hung for these leaks...they're treasonous"

— Yashar Ali (@yashar) July 27, 2017

7. Now Scaramucci is comparing his relationship with Reince to Cain and Abel...H/T @VickyPJWard

— Yashar Ali (@yashar) July 27, 2017

8. Scaramucci just now: "I don't know if the relationship with Reince is reparable...that's up to the President."

— Yashar Ali (@yashar) July 27, 2017

My guess is that Trump doesn't just want Priebus to quit, after which he'll give Scaramucci his job. First Trump wants Scaramucci to break a sweat auditioning for the job.

Scaramucci's performance on CNN has audience of one: Trump. Reminds me of old Fox trick when hosts spoke on air to Ailes - and only Ailes

— David Folkenflik (@davidfolkenflik) July 27, 2017

Trump feels he's being mistreated and disrespected by leakers -- so to soothe his delicate psyche, he wants someone to be publicly, grovelingly deferential to him. Scaramucci can't just replace Priebus, he has to prostrate himself before Trump (via Trump's favorite medium, cable news), and then he can get the job, after he's salved the wound inflicted by Preibus and other alleged leakers on Trump's tender emotional flesh.

Sad!