Omarosa's feud with Trump: The latest tapes, threats and targets
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Omarosa Manigualt-Newma, former Trump aide. Photo: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images
Omarosa Manigault-Newman, the former Trump aide who dramatically ended her 11-month stint in the White House in December, has further escalated her feud with the Trump administration this week by releasing a second secret recording to the public, threatening to release more, and taking to the airwaves to tell her side of the story.
Between the lines: This apparent publicity stunt comes as Omarosa, whom President Trump called a "lowlife" and a "dog" on Twitter, has released her new book, "Unhinged," which includes several outrageous claims from her time in the West Wing.
The latest
- Speaking with NBC News' Katy Tur on Tuesday, Omarosa claimed special counsel Robert Mueller's team had spoken to her regarding the ongoing probe into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.
- It's unclear when the alleged interview occurred, and sources close to the White House told ABC News that Mueller's team has never requested to speak with Omarosa during her 11-month stint at the White House.
- White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters on Tuesday afternoon she "can't guarantee" that the president has never used the N-word, but said she has never heard him say it.
- She went on to defend the president in explaining that calling Omarosa a "dog" did not have anything to do with race.
- The Trump campaign filed an arbitration action against Omarosa citing a breach of her 2016 nondisclosure agreement.
The tapes she released
- On Sunday, Omarosa released audio from a secret recording she made in December when she was being fired by Chief of Staff John Kelly in the White House's highly-secured Situation Room. The audio was first played during her appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday.
- Monday morning, NBC's "Today" aired an excerpt of a phone call Omarosa recorded between her and President Trump, who expressed surprise and disappointment that she got ousted from the White House. In the call, which she says came a day after she was fired, Trump said “nobody even told me about it.”
- On Tuesday, "CBS This Morning" aired another Omarosa recording which featured Trump campaign officials discussing how to deal with any hypothetical fallout if a tape of Trump using the N-word were to be released.
Other tapes she claims to have
- Politico reports the former "Apprentice" star has also recorded private phone calls with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, advisers to the president. Citing two sources who claim to have discussed the recording with Omarosa, the report says that Trump and Kushner wished her well and said they were unaware of plans to fire her.
- The Washington Post and the Guardian, which have received advanced copies of her new book, report that Omarosa also claims to have tapes of Trump — whom Omarosa called a "racist" — saying the "N-word."
"It had finally sunk in that the person I’d thought I’d known so well for so long was actually a racist. Using the N-word was not just the way he talks but, more disturbing, it was how he thought of me and African Americans as a whole."— Excerpt from "Unhinged"
- In an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, Omarosa says she has "plenty" of other tapes. Asked if she would share the recordings with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, Omarosa responded: "If his office calls again, anything they want, I'll share.” Note that her comment implies Mueller's team has already contacted her.
Juiciest claims from her book
- Omarosa says Trump used racial slurs in reference to Kellyanne Conway's half-Filipino husband, George Conway, calling him a "F**ing FLIP! Disloyal! Fucking Goo-goo."
- She writes that Trump asked her about her decision to go to Haiti: "Why did you choose that shitty country as your first foreign trip?" Trump reportedly referred to Haiti and a few other nations as "shithole countries" in January this year.
- She claims the White House has a tanning bed, although the Post reports that other White House aides said they have not seen it.
- She says she once walked in on Trump chewing up a piece of paper and seemingly swallowing it in the Oval Office.
Be smart: "She's out-Trumping Trump right now," a former senior administration official told Axios' Jonathan Swan.
Go deeper:
- Inside Omarosa's reign of terror at the White House
- White House calls Omarosa a liar over allegations in upcoming book
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the latest developments.
