As anticipated, the “breakup” between President Donald Trump and onetime “Apprentice” reality TV star-turned-White-House-aide Omarosa Manigault Newman is headed to court after the Justice Department sued her for failing to file a financial disclosures report.
Justice Department attorneys said in a civil complaint filed at the Washington federal court that Omarosa was told she had to file a financial disclosure report way before she was fired. She allegedly ignored several emails between January and March 2018 requesting her to fill out the form after her departure, CNN reported.
“Notwithstanding the numerous attempts to obtain her compliance, Ms. Manigault Newman has not filed her termination financial disclosure report,” CNBC quoted the lawsuit as saying.
Omarosa’s lawyer, John Philips, denies the claims and said the White House
is retaliating against her using the Justice Department. She was denied access to records she needed to make the financial disclosures.
“Omarosa Manigault Newman cannot even get a straight answer about the amount of materials wrongfully possessed,” Philips said in a statement.
Twitter users called hypocrisy. “What about @jaredkushner who actually LIED multiple times on his financial disclosures?” one user tweeted, referring to Trump’s son-in-law, who is constantly changing his financial disclosures.
Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 18: Boyce Watkins
Jamarlin talks with Dr. Boyce Watkins about the lopsided relationship between the Democratic Party and Black America. They discuss potential 2020 presidential candidates, Sen. Cory Booker and Sen. Kamala Harris, and whether corporations and interests connected to foreign countries have more influence than Black voters on policy and priorities.
If charged, Omarosa could face a fine of up to $50,000.
Omarosa, who served as the director of communications in the White House Office of Public Liaison until her much-publicized firing/resignation, likened her experience there to “working at a plantation”. She wrote a memoir called “Unhinged: An Insider’s Account of the Trump White House” that was released on Aug. 14.
