Anthony Scaramucci, newly tapped to serve as President Donald Trump's communications director, has a resume worth bragging about in most circles. He worked at Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers and Skybridge Capital after graduating from Harvard Law School in 1989.
But in 2016, he told a group of Harvard law students to follow his lead and dial back the bravado.
"I have one piece of advice I want all of you to take with you when you leave this school: Immediately quit acting like you went to Harvard Law School," Scaramucci said in March 2016 during a fireside chat hosted by the president of the Harvard Association for Law and Business
A piece published last year in The Harvard Law Record by Joe Lie berman (no, not that Joe Lieberman), who attended Scaramucci's talk, portrays Scaramucci as a man full of humility who learned to ditch an elitist persona.
Lieberman, who is now an associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, said Friday that Scaramucci was a refreshing voice at the event in 2016 and a departure from alums who often "humble brag" about their accomplishments after law school.
In the Harvard Law Record piece last year, Lieberman wrote, "To much of the country, he is best known for becoming the punch line of a rant by Jon Stewart on The Daily Show after Mr. Scaramucci appeared on live television in 2010 asking President Obama when he would 'stop whacking Wall Street like a pi ata.' The media response quickly turned Mr. Scaramucci into something of a pi ata himself. He expressed no bitterness, however, saying he quickly 'realized that I came off as an elitist, and I regret that.'"
Scaramucci did not practice after graduating from Harvard Law and went straight to Goldman Sachs.
On news of Scaramucci's new role with the Trump administration, Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, resigned Friday.
Contact Leigh Jones at ljones@alm.com. On Twitter: @LeighJones711.