August 13, 2018

Trump Admits He Only Kept Omarosa Around Because She “Said Great Things” About Him

Apparently flattery and tears are the surest ways to land and keep a White House job.

Michael Reynolds/ZUMA

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President Donald Trump lashed out at Omarosa Manigault Newman on Monday morning, calling the former White House aide “wacky” and “vicious” after she released two audio clips she claims she surreptitiously recorded in the days surrounding her unceremonious firing last December.

But in attacking Newman, Trump appeared to admit that he only allowed Newman to remain in her senior position at the White House—despite the objections of his chief of staff—because she routinely flattered him. He also claimed that he hired her in the first place because she begged him with tears in her eyes. The president’s explanations for Newman’s brief tenure will only add to well-documented concerns over the White House’s unorthodox hiring practices. They also appear to undermine Trump’s frequent boasts that he hires the “best people.”

Despite serious concerns over Newman’s qualifications, the former reality star was reportedly paid a $179,000 salary, the most White House staffers are allowed to earn.

The pair of tweets on Monday came soon after Newman appeared on the Today Show, where she presented a phone conversation with Trump that appears to show his attempt to distance himself from her ouster. The day before, Newman released another secret tape she says she captured in the White House Situation Room.

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