As if her upcoming memoir, Unhinged, didn't shake things up in Washington enough last week, Omarosa Manigault Newman alarmed allies and critics alike when she played secret tapes recorded by her during her time as a White House aide.
It's a stunning reversal from one of President Donald Trump's foremost allies for over a decade. To the shock of many, at least one of the recordings––which appears to show Chief of Staff John Kelly firing her––was made in the Situation Room and could represent a huge breach of security.
The tapes appear to prove that Chief of Staff John Kelly fired her––contrary to the White House's initial statement on the matter––and what's more, appear to show that Donald Trump was not made aware of the decision, with Kelly asserting that "the staff and everyone on the staff works for me, not the President."
Now, Donald Trump is leaping to discredit Manigault Newman on Twitter, continuing his common attack of referring to black people as unintelligent.
Manigault Newman claims that her tapes are by far not as damning to the president as others in existence. The former Trump ally and season one contestant of The Apprentice claims to have heard recordings of Donald Trump repeatedly using the N-word.
The fact that the tapes of her conversations with Kelly were recorded in the first place is, to many, more distressing than their actual content.
Some are attributing the breach to Manigault Newman's disregard for protocol:
Some feel the sloppiness of the White House shares more of the blame.
The departure of Manigault Newman from Trump's White House in December 2017 was among the more notable in an administration fraught with unprecedented staff turnover rates. Her tapes are already contradicting narratives in a story that was constantly updated in the weeks after it happened.Manigault Newman's departure from the White House was an ever-changing story when the news initially broke.
First, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders stated that:
Omarosa Manigault Newman resigned yesterday to pursue other opportunities. Her departure will not be effective until January 20, 2018. We wish her the best in future endeavors and are grateful for her service.
Hours later, White House Correspondent April D. Ryan cited multiple sources when reporting that Manigault Newman was not only fired, but that the departure was anything but amicable.
&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fthehill.com%2Fhomenews%2Fadministration%2F364729-april-ryan-omarosa-fired-by-kelly-escorted-out-of-white-houseBut the White House still insisted that Manigault Newman signed a resignation letter.
However, New York Times Reporter Yamiche Alcindor reported that, while Manigault Newman was indeed fired, other sources claimed her departure wasn't as dramatic as originally reported.
Interestingly enough, Ryan recently tweeted Manigault Newman to imply that the former aide could be in legal hot water.
While the contentious tapes are sure to increase sales of Manigault Newman's upcoming book, it's unclear whether she or the administration she's turned against will be more damaged by their release.
