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- President Donald Trump’s former adviser and close confidant, Omarosa Manigault Newman, sparked several workplace controversies before her dramatic departure from the White House this week.
- In one instance, Newman reportedly lashed out at prominent members of the Congressional Black Caucus following a March meeting, when they requested privacy in the West Wing to discuss what they would tell reporters.
- “You don’t get to come into our house and demand to have f—— privacy,” Newman reportedly said.
- The account was disputed by a source close to Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond, the chairman of the CBC.
It’s no secret that Omarosa Manigault Newman’s departure from the White House was fraught with controversy.
Chief of staff John Kelly reportedly fired Newman earlier this week because she “acted very vulgar and cursed a lot and said she helped elect President Trump,” according to Urban Radio Networks’ April D. Ryan. After being fired, Newman is said to have walked to the president’s residence and “tried to get in.” Secret Service then reportedly had to escort her off the grounds.
On Friday, an ABC News report suggested that Newman’s entire tenure at the White House was filled with similarly tense encounters.
In March, Newman met with prominent members of the Congressional Black Caucus after they had a highly-publicized meeting with Trump. Newman had arranged the meeting in her role as communications director for the Office of Public Liaison.
After the meeting, members of the caucus asked to be left alone in the lobby of the West Wing to discuss what they would tell reporters waiting outside, ABC News said.
Newman reportedly told the lawmakers, “You don’t get to come into our house and demand to have f—— privacy.” A source told ABC News that a member of the White House staff tried to convince Newman to give the lawmakers privacy, but she would not walk away.
That account was somewhat disputed by a source close to Democratic Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond, the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. The person told ABC News that Newman didn’t overstep any boundaries and was defending a White House staffer.
“She was within her right to do that because a CBC person was being a bit rude,” they said.
Before her departure, Newman had come under some media scrutiny because her position in the White House was vague and undefined, which frustrated some of her colleagues. Kelly, who became chief of staff last summer, is said to have made it a key focus to determine the exact roles and responsibilities of main West Wing staffers like senior adviser Jared Kushner and former chief strategist Steve Bannon.
Following her dismissal, Newman said that the White House’s “lack of diversity” made her feel “very lonely.”
