Scaramucci Testifies Against Chicago Banker About Trump’s Transition

On June 24, former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci testified for the government in its case against Stephen Calk. He revealed, to the jury, his role in filling vacancies in former President Donald Trump’s administration. 

Calk, a Chicago-based banker and former chief executive of the Federal Savings Bank, has pleaded not guilty to charges of financial institution bribery and conspiracy. Scaramucci told the jury that he would have not considered Calk for a job if he was aware of the fact that the banker was handing out $16 million in loans to Trump’s ex-campaign manager. 

Scaramucci, 57, was questioned by the prosecutor for an hour. He maintained that he had not known Calk before Paul Manafort had recommended him for key positions in Trump’s administration, post the former President’s election into the presidency in November 2016. 

Manafort served as Trump’s campaign manager between June and early August 2016. In mid-to-late December 2016, he got in touch with Scaramucci to encourage him to consider Calk for a crucial position in Trump’s administration. But Scaramucci added that Manafort didn’t mention anything about how he was trying to get $16 million in loans for real estate endeavors. If he had, Scaramucci asserted that he would have never considered Calk for a position. 

Following a phone conversation with the Chicago-based banker on December 27, 2016, Scaramucci recalled that he received a series of texts from Calk inquiring about the prospects for a Trump Tower interview for a variety of positions. Scaramucci stated that although he indicated that he was doing his best to get him the requested interview, there also seemed to be other people in line for those positions. 

According to court exhibits, Scaramucci received a text message in early January where Calk asked him if he was still in the game, and a couple of days later, asked him for an update. Prosecutors state that Calk was pressing his bank’s loan committee and underwriters to give Manafort the loans he requested, as he was gunning for the Trump administration jobs, including Secretary of the Army, that he never got.