Hedge fund founder Scaramucci to join Trump's White House as liaison

Anthony Scaramucci, a hedge fund founder who was a fundraiser in Donald Trump's election campaign, will join the president-elect's White House staff as an advisor and public liaison to government agencies and businesses, he said on Friday.

Scaramucci, founder of Skybridge Capital hedge fund and a former employee at Goldman Sachs, is a member of Trump's transition team.

He will work as a liaison in the White House for state and local governments and for both American and foreign businesses, Scaramucci told reporters in New York.

"One of my other personal goals though is to get all of the American people to see President Trump the way I see him," he added. Trump, a Republican, takes office on Jan. 20.

Scaramucci played down media reports from Thursday that he would hold a position analogous to that currently held by Valerie Jarrett, who oversees the White House's Offices of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs and is seen as one of President Barack Obama's most powerful advisers.

"That's probably an overstatement," Scaramucci said when asked about the comparison. "Valerie and I know each other quite well and I will be speaking to her later in the day. I don't want to overstate the position."

Scaramucci did not discuss what would happen to Skybridge, which had $12 billion in assets under management or advisement as of Nov. 30, 2016, down from $12.9 billion as of Dec. 31, 2015, according to firm's website. The firm was put up for auction as Scaramucci began considering a potential position in the White House, Reuters reported last month.

(Reporting by Jonathan Allen; Additional reporting by Lawrence Delevingne; Editing by Frances Kerry)