Story highlights Anthony Scaramucci is feuding with Reince Priebus, who he thinks is leaking

"Sometimes he's a passionate guy," Huckabee Sanders said of Scaramucci's vulgar remarks

Washington (CNN) WARNING: This story contains graphic language.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended Anthony Scaramucci's vulgar attacks on Reince Priebus Thursday night, just hours after she was unable to say if the President has confidence in his chief of staff.

"Sometimes he's a passionate guy, sometimes he might let that passion get the better of him. I think maybe that happened," she told reporters. "He used some colorful language that I don't anticipate he will again."

She was responding to a piece published by the New Yorker earlier Thursday on a phone call between Scaramucci, President Donald Trump's new communications director, and a reporter who broke news on Twitter of a private dinner Scaramucci had Wednesday with the President, first lady Melania Trump, Fox News host Sean Hannity and former Fox News executive Bill Shine.

During the phone call, Scaramucci demanded that journalist Ryan Lizza tell him his source and threatened to fire people from the White House communications team if Lizza did not comply, Lizza wrote.

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