Former ‘The Apprentice’ star and current presidential aide Omarosa Manigault announced she would be leaving the White House in January. Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed the news Wednesday.
Omarosa is one of President Donald Trump most ardent supporters in the black community. Sanders announced that the aide announced her resignation Tuesday and that she wants “to pursue other opportunities.”
The President thanked her for her service and wished her ‘continued success’ in future endeavors.
Thank you Omarosa for your service! I wish you continued success.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2017
Omarosa will be officially out of the White House on January 20, 2018. However, her departure doesn’t come as a surprise since many Trump critics had expected that top aides exit the White House early 2018.
Analysts believe Omarosa could start an exodus of WH employees. Deputy national security adviser to the President Dina Powell has also said she would be out in January or February next year.
Omarosa’s Departure Shrouded in Mystery
However, nearly every administration had to put up with surprise departures like Omarosa’s. Yet, we expect more resignations under the current administration because of a tough first year.
Omarosa has been planning for a long time to leave, two people familiar with the matter said. The main reasons she is stepping down is related to her ‘ill-defined’ White House role under Trump’s chief of staff John Kelly.
Sources also said that he loyalty to the President which forged during the presidential campaign has kept her in the White House longer than expected. Even though Omarosa traveled with the President in a recent trip to Mississippi, the underlying problem remains: she has little to no access to Trump. This issue was reported by other Trump aides too.
A former Trump administration official said Kelly and his predecessor Reince Priebus wanted Omarosa out because they weren’t exactly sure what her role was. Other officials were unsure what value she brought to the White House.
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