Round two of the secret Omarosa recordings have begun, and this time, the target is the president himself. Appearing on The Today Show Monday morning, former reality TV show contestant and White House adviser Omarosa Manigault-Newman brought a second secret recording the day after her explosive reveal of the tape of her firing by Secretary of State John Kelly in the Situation Room.
"I'd like to see this be a friendly departure," John Kelly says on the tape during Omarosa's firing. "There are pretty significant legal issues that we hope don't develop into something that, that'll make it ugly for you." https://t.co/4feujR9Rbd
— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 13, 2018
On the second recording, Manigault-Newman spoke with President Trump after her firing. Trump claimed not to have known the plan to force her out.
In a recording released to NBC News, Trump can be heard speaking on the phone with the ousted White House adviser:
‘Omarosa? Omarosa what’s going on? I just saw on the news that you’re thinking about leaving? What happened?’
“Do you think the President lies often?” –@savannahguthrie
“Oh, absolutely.” –@OMAROSA pic.twitter.com/6PXZ21UMTD
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) August 13, 2018
Manigault-Newman replied that “General Kelly—General Kelly came to me and said that you guys wanted me to leave.” Trump responded that he was uninvolved in the decision.
‘No…I, I, Nobody even told me about it…You know they run a big operation, but I didn’t know it. I didn’t know that. Goddamn it. I don’t love you leaving at all.’
Whether or not Trump actually was aware that the former The Apprentice contestant’s firing was planned may never be known, but the idea of a president calling the White House “a big operation” run by others without his knowledge is stunning.
The White House has responded with swift condemnation of Omarosa’s appearances in the media and her disparaging comments as well as her recordings. On Sunday, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders lashed out:
‘Instead of telling the truth about all the good President Trump and his administration are doing to make America safe and prosperous, this book is riddled with lies and false accusations. It’s sad that a disgruntled former White House employee is trying to profit off these false attacks, and even worse that the media would now give her a platform, after not taking her seriously when she had only positive things to say about the President during her time in the administration.’
The White House is also reportedly seeking legal recourse against Manigault-Newman, who says she is not worried because she “has protections.”
.@OMAROSA says she is not concerned about legal consequences for taping in the Situation Room because she says she has “protections.” pic.twitter.com/olyW6qiQsv
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) August 13, 2018
On Sunday, Trump personally responded to questions about his former ally and friend by calling her “a lowlife.” He didn’t address how all the “best people” he hires turn into lowlives, criminals, leakers, and corrupt people in the end.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/941094961482780672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E941094961482780672&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbipartisanreport.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php
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