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5 stories Omarosa might tell after leaving the White House

by Julia Manchester - 12/16/17 3:48 PM ET

Omarosa Manigault Newman’s dramatic departure from the White House this week is fueling speculation about what stories she might share after leaving the administration.

The former reality TV star’s relationship with President Trump began back in 2003, when she was a contestant on “The Apprentice,” before collaborating on other shows such as “Celebrity Apprentice” and “The Ultimate Merger.”

Trump appointed Manigault Newman as director of communications for the White House Office of Public Liaison in January after she campaigned for him during the 2016 presidential race.

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Since her high-profile White House exit this week, speculation has swirled over whether she will land a book deal and divulge details about her experience in the administration.

Here are five things Manigault Newman could reveal after she formally leaves the administration in January:

Circumstances of her White House departure

Reports surfaced that Manigault Newman had been fired by Trump’s chief of staff John Kelly and left the White House complex screaming and cursing, setting off a series of alarms in an attempt to speak with the president at the residence.

American Urban Radio Networks reporter April Ryan reported on Wednesday that Manigault Newman “did not resign” and was escorted off of the White House premises.

“She was very upset and said she wanted to speak to the president. According to sources, Gen. Kelly said the president was already informed and he signed off,” Ryan said.

Ryan reported that Manigault Newman allegedly “acted very vulgar and cursed a lot and said she helped elect President Trump. The word is General Kelly had it and got rid of her.”

Manigault Newman disputed those reports, saying she had discussed it privately with Kelly in the Situation Room, suggesting Ryan’s report was due to a “personal vendetta” against her.

The disputed circumstances surrounding her exit forced the the Secret Service to issue a statement saying Manigault Newman was not escorted off of White House grounds.

“The Secret Service was not involved in the termination process of Ms Manigault Newman or the escort off of the complex,” the agency wrote on Twitter. “Our only involvement in this matter was to deactivate the individual’s pass which grants access to the complex.”

What Trump’s diversity efforts look like up close

Manigault Newman’s departure has sparked questions about the diversity of the Trump White House, something that officials defended this week after her exit.

“When I have a chance to tell my story … as the only African-American woman in this White House, as a senior staff and assistant to the president, I have seen things that have made me uncomfortable, that have upset me, that have affected me deeply and emotionally, that has affected my community and my people,” she told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Thursday.

The outgoing aide also revealed in an interview on ABC News’s “Nightline” on Thursday that she was lonely at the White House due to what she said was a lack of diversity, saying, “It has been very, very challenging being the only African-American woman in the senior staff.”

Manigault Newman was one of few senior administration officials of color. Following her exit this week, the White House defended itself amid questions about diversity, with press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders touting “a really diverse team across the board at the White House.”

“We always want to continue to grow the diversity here. Something that we strive for every day is to add and grow to be more diverse and more representative of the country at-large and we’re going to continue to do that,” she said.

Why she feuded with the Congressional Black Caucus

Manigault Newman publicly feuded with the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) in June after CBC lawmakers refused to meet with Trump, accusing them of “showboating” and refusing to serve their constituents.

“Coming to the table over and over again to work through these issues is the only effective way to get where they wanted to go,” she said on Fox Business Network.

“And instead, they’re showboating and they’re actually shorting out their constituents that they committed to represent by not coming to meet with the president,” she continued.

Manigault Newman also said that by refusing to meet with the president, CBC leaders were ignoring their opportunity to address issues relevant to the black community.

How John Kelly ran the White House

Tensions between Manigault Newman and Kelly appeared to have been on the rise after it was reported in September that the chief of staff had drafted a “no-fly list” of aides who previously wandered into meetings unannounced and uninvited but who no longer have that power.

The New York Times reported that Manigault Newman was on the top of that list.

Kelly has pushed to implement his own vision for White House operations after taking over the chief of staff position in late July.

Manigault Newman is the latest White House official to leave the administration since Kelly took over, while Trump’s first year has also seen the departures of senior aides including former chief of staff Reince Priebus, former press secretary Sean Spicer, former communications director Anthony Scaramucci and former chief strategist Stephen Bannon.

A look into her relationship with Trump

Manigault Newman said the president was sad to hear of her departure and said he learned of the news on television.

“[Trump] was sad to learn about my departure,” she told ABC News. “I regret that he found out about it on the television.”

However, a report from The Daily Beast revealed that Kelly was attempting to push Manigault Newman out because she was “triggering” the president by showing him negative news coverage.

“He is, however, thrilled that he has been able to stop staffers including Omarosa from bolting into the Oval Office and triggering the president with White House [palace] intrigue stories,” a West Wing official told the publication.

Trump issued a tweet on Wednesday, thanking Manigault Newman for her service in the White House.