Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci has alleged that while Elon Musk’s recent statements about President Donald Trump’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein may not be accurate, Russia likely has compromising information on the president.
The claims surfaced amid a public rift between Trump and Musk, during which Musk took to X on June 5, 2025, to assert that Trump is mentioned in the Epstein files, possibly impeding their release. Musk subsequently deleted the post without providing a reason.
Scaramucci, who was involved in Trump’s presidential campaign and transition for about eight months and served as communications director for 11 days in 2017, discussed these issues on “The Daily Beast Podcast” on June 10, 2025. He expressed doubts about Musk’s claims concerning Epstein, noting that such information would likely have emerged by now if it were true.
However, Scaramucci offered a separate theory regarding Trump’s potential vulnerabilities, suggesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin may have leverage over Trump through “kompromat” – compromising material used for blackmail. Scaramucci questioned Trump’s consistently deferential behavior toward Putin, especially considering Russia’s current economic difficulties and military issues in Ukraine.
He speculated that any compromising material on Trump could date back to the 1980s and 1990s, a period aligning with unverified claims about possible KGB recruitment efforts targeting Trump during his real estate career.
Scaramucci dismissed the idea that Trump’s favorable stance toward Putin is due to admiration for authoritarian figures. He argued that Trump’s self-centered nature would typically lead him to assert dominance over foreign leaders, given America’s economic and military strength. “He would be shoving Putin, but he doesn’t shove Putin because they got something on him,” Scaramucci stated.
The allegations arise amid a worsening relationship between Trump and Musk, which has been public in recent months. Scaramucci previously predicted that Musk’s involvement with Trump would be brief, based on his own experiences and Trump’s pattern with associates.
In May 2025, Scaramucci stated at the UK’s Hay Festival that Musk considers Trump an idiot, citing Musk’s public criticism of Trump’s trade adviser, Peter Navarro, as evidence. Scaramucci noted that since Navarro and Trump share similar trade policy views, Musk’s criticism reflects on Trump as well.
Scaramucci has consistently warned about Trump’s negative impact on those in his inner circle. He has predicted that cabinet members, including Marco Rubio and Musk, would not last in their roles, suggesting Trump will eventually “disgrace” those around him.
The former communications director has also made light of other short-lived Trump associates, including Vivek Ramaswamy, who left his position as co-leader of the Department of Government Efficiency on January 19, 2025, before the department was officially established. Scaramucci joked that Ramaswamy’s brief tenure couldn’t even be measured in “Scaramuccis,” a term for a political time span of 11 days.
The White House has not responded to requests for comment on Scaramucci’s latest allegations. No public evidence supports claims that Russia holds compromising material on Trump, and Trump has denied working for Russia in the past.
Trump’s relationship with Putin has long been scrutinized by political analysts and intelligence officials. During his presidency and current term, Trump has frequently praised Putin, refrained from direct criticism of the Russian leader, and minimized concerns about Russian election interference.
Scaramucci’s allegations add to a series of public statements from the former aide, who has become a vocal critic of Trump since his dismissal in 2017. His suggestions about Russian kompromat introduce a new aspect to ongoing discussions about Trump’s relationship with Putin and possible vulnerabilities affecting U.S. foreign policy.
