It’s hard not to feel bad for Anthony Scaramucci the same way you feel bad for the Rat King when he dies at the end of “The Nutcracker.” But unlike the Rat King, who presumably goes to rat hell after the final curtain falls, Scaramucci is still here to remind us why we hated him in the first place.

On Wednesday, Scaramucci thought it would be wise to try his hand at what we English majors like to call a “metaphor.”

.@RyanLizza is the Linda Tripp of 2017. People know. And he is up at night not being able to live with himself. — Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) August 10, 2017

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For those of you unfamiliar with the saga of Linda Tripp, she was the woman to whom Monica Lewinsky admitted her affair with Bill Clinton, under the impression that Tripp was a friend. Had Tripp not betrayed Lewinsky in cold blood by sharing news of that affair with the world, Lewinsky’s life might be very different right now. To invoke Tripp’s name is to accuse someone of the ultimate betrayal.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t take an English degree from a four-year liberal arts college to notice that there is something a little off about comparing Tripp to Ryan Lizza, the New Yorker reporter who published the bananas phone conversation with Scaramucci that eventually led to his firing.

Reactions to the tweet ranged from crude:

Are you saying that you tried to give him a blowjob?— Brook Lundy (@brooklundy1) August 10, 2017

To measured:

Very similar situations, except 1) He’s not your friend 2) He is a reporter 3) Rather than manipulate you into talking, you called him up https://t.co/YzqOQO7qc6— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) August 10, 2017

To pedagogical:

1 weird trick to avoid having your insane conversations with reporters caught on tape: don’t call them and accuse colleagues of autofellatio

— William B. Fuckley (@opinonhaver) August 10, 2017

Even Monica Lewinsky herself took a moment out of the busy and fulfilled life that Scaramucci wishes he had to respond to the tweet:

? https://t.co/c8bprBIURs— Monica Lewinsky (@MonicaLewinsky) August 10, 2017

Perhaps Scaramucci would be better off spending his time lost in the pages of Oprah’s favorite self-help book instead of tweeting his feelings.

Becky Scott is the editor of The Schmooze. Follow her on Twitter, @arr_scott

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