Anthony Scaramucci was invited to speak Wednesday at Liberty University, where he taught students the central importance of forgiveness. The former White House communications director addressed "the elephant in the room," his notorious firing after an expletive-laced tirade directed at his colleagues in the West Wing.
“It was a very painful and very humiliating thing to have happened to me,” he told the students, according to a press release. “I am sharing that with you because your life is going to unfold — and I guarantee you your future is going to be great because you’re getting great principles and great training, and [you] have that fundamental belief in God and forgiveness and adaption and love."
Liberty President Jerry Falwell Jr. welcomed Scaramucci on stage for a Q&A session after his speech. Scaramucci again spoke about his firing from the Trump White House.
“At the end of the day, it was a big blunder, but ultimately for me to go forward and to progress in my career, I have to forgive myself — and you will find that in your faith and in your religious teachings,” he said.
Scaramucci's speech at Liberty University marked another appearance for a Republican politico at the right-wing Christian college. University president Jerry Falwell Jr. has been a major influence on the GOP and was one of the main backers of President Donald Trump during the 2016 election.
"[He] doesn't say what's politically correct," Falwell said in 2016, celebrating Trump's crude rhetoric.
While Liberty University embraced Scaramucci with open arms, the school was vehemently anti-former President Barack Obama. During the 2008 campaign, Falwell implemented a rule that prevented students from forming a Democratic organization on campus. When Obama came to Virginia in 2008 to speak at a local high school near Liberty University, Falwell refused to make any parking available on campus for Obama supporters.
This past August, Liberty University claimed it would accept diplomas from graduates who were unhappy with Falwell's support of Trump, but warned alumni that discarding their diplomas may hurt their chances on the job market.
"Liberty University strongly supports our students' rights to express their own political opinions, including any opposition they have to their school leader's relationship with this president of the U.S., just as other students may have opposed leadership of liberal institutions supporting previous presidents," Liberty said in a statement.
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