5 brutal insults in The Atlantic's scathing Reince Priebus postmortem

President Trump and former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Now that Reince Priebus is out as White House chief of staff, the floodgates have opened. "Reince always wanted to make sure he did not lose any friends," former radio show host Charlie Sykes told The Atlantic. "Maybe that was the problem — he never wanted to burn bridges. He wanted to keep everybody happy."

But for never wanting to burn bridges, there were plenty of conservatives who were ready to blast Priebus on the record. Here are some of the most brutal insults from The Atlantic's analysis of his brief time in office. Jeva Lange

1. "I see him as kind of a tragic figure … It's sad, but it's the result of choices he made. It's not like he wasn't warned." –Political commentator and former radio show host Charlie Sykes

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2. "Karma's a b---h, ain't it?" -Michael Steele, the incumbent RNC chair Priebus beat in 2011

3. "A f--king paranoid schizophrenic." –Communications director Anthony Scaramucci, quoted from The New Yorker

4. "Reince was tireless in defending, excusing, empowering, and enabling Trump." –David French via Twitter

5. "He acts like a battered spouse." –Republican consultant Rick Wilson

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.