Story highlights Newsmax CEO calls Priebus weak and incompetent

Ruddy spent Friday night with the President at Mar-a-Lago

(CNN) One of Donald Trump's friends, after recently spending time with the President, cast doubt Sunday on White House chief of staff Reince Priebus' ability to do his job.

The friend then said later in the day that he spoke to Priebus and has an "open mind."

Christopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax Media, told CNN's Brian Stelter on "Reliable Sources" he thinks "there's a lot of weakness coming out of the chief of staff."

"I think Reince Priebus, good guy, well-intentioned, but he clearly doesn't know how the federal agencies work," said Ruddy. "He doesn't have a real good system. He doesn't know how the communications flow."

It was a strikingly frank public assessment of one of Trump's top staffers by a close friend, but it's unclear whether Trump shares it.

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