It was never entirely clear why Omarosa Manigault, a former reality-show personality, had a job in Donald Trump’s White House. A Washington Post piece in March described her as “the highest-ranking African American in the West Wing,” though everyone seemed to struggle to explain her position and responsibilities.
The same Post article quoted a Republican strategist saying Manigault had input on daily press briefings and that “she carries a lot of weight” with candidates seeking ambassadorships. Again, no one seemed able to explain why this dynamic existed.
Evidently, it no longer matters: effective Jan. 20, 2018, she’s parting ways with Team Trump.
Omarosa Manigault Newman, a White House aide and infamous former “Apprentice” contestant, resigned Tuesday evening, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told NBC News, “to pursue other opportunities.” […]
Omarosa was one of his highest profile African-American, female supporters and one of the few black women in Trump’s West Wing. Her title during her year in the White House was assistant to the president and communications director for the Office of Public Liaison.
Though the details haven’t been confirmed by NBC News, the New York Times’ Yamiche Alcindor said, “I just talked to sources who tell me Omarosa was let go yesterday and that she was escorted off of the White House grounds by security. They say she is now calling friends saying that she left voluntarily because her year anniversary was coming up.”
Whatever the backstory, this seems like a good time to update the list of prominent Trump World departures:
Cabinet: HHS Secretary Tom Price
West Wing: Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, Deputy Chief of Staff Katie Walsh, Director of Public Liaison George Sifakis, Office of Public Liaison Communications Director Omarosa Manigault
White House Communications: Press Secretary Sean Spicer, Assistant Press Secretary Michael Short, Communications Director #1 Mike Dubke, Communications Director #2 Anthony Scaramucci, Rapid Response Director Andy Hemming
National Security team: National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, Deputy National Security Advisor K.T. McFarland, Deputy National Security Advisor Dina Powell, Advisor to the National Security Council Monica Crowley, Director for intelligence programs at the National Security Council Ezra Cohen-Watnick, Deputy Chief of Staff at the National Security Council Tera Dahl, Director Of Strategic Planning at the National Security Council Rich Higgins, NSC Middle East Advisor Derek Harvey The self-identified “nationalist” wing: Chief White House Strategist Steve Bannon, National Security Aide Sebastian Gorka Justice Department: Acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates, FBI Director James Comey, dozens of U.S. Attorneys A cavalcade of others that includes Josh Pitcock, chief of staff to the vice president, Walter Shaub, director of the Office of Government Ethics, and Carl Icahn, who served as a special adviser to the president on regulatory reform As we discussed a while back, this does not include the various shake-ups we’ve seen on Trump’s outside legal team. It also doesn’t include a variety of people the president nominated for prominent administrative posts – including some cabinet positions – who ultimately withdrew in the face of assorted controversies.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past." Recommended
