White House official Anthony Scaramucci references Joe Paterno and 'honor' in interview

Newly appointed White House communicatons director Anthony Scaramucci quoted the late Joe Paterno while discussing “honor” during an interview on CNN Thursday morning.

“Why don’t you honor the job? You remember Joe Paterno? What would he say? Act like you’ve been there before,” Scaramucci said during a phone interview. “Act with honor and dignity and respect, and hold the confidence of the presidency in his office. Why don’t we do that?”

Paterno was fired in November 2011 for his role in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal, and he died shortly after in January 2012. Paterno was never charged with a crime, but a report commissioned by the university concluded he was part of an effort to keep a lid on the allegations against Sandusky for fear of bad publicity.

Three former Penn State officials were recently sentenced to jail over their negligence in the Sandusky case.

Scaramucci called CNN after his financial disclosure report was published hours earlier. Although the form was public information, Scaramucci still felt it was “leaked.”

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