US President Donald Trump has wished well for his prominent African American aide Omarosa Manigault Newman, who is on her way out of the White House after an alleged brawl with Chief of Staff John Kelly over her firing.
"Thank you Omarosa for your service! I wish you continued success," Trump tweeted Wednesday night, hours after the White House confirmed the former TV show Apprentice contestant’s departure.
"Omarosa Manigault Newman resigned yesterday to pursue other opportunities," White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters earlier. "Her departure will not be effective until January 20, 2018. We wish her the best in future endeavors and are grateful for her service."
Omarosa joined the Trump administration as the top communications official at the White House Office of Public Liaison but her resignation has been a long time coming, two government sources told CNN.
She specifically started to feel her position was ill-defined after Kelly took over in July, the sources said.
Apparently, the only thing that kept the influential black figure in her role longer than expected was her friendship with Trump. The relationship grew stronger during the 2016 campaign.
"People have long been unsure what she did at the White House," one former official told CNN, adding that some inside the White House were openly asking "what value she brought" to the table.
"Many of her colleagues are elated by today's news," the former official added.
While it is common for some aides to resign after the first year of a president’s time in office, there is speculation that the current administration is bound to face more departures than usual after a particularly bruising first year.
Manigault Newman is the latest example of the upcoming exodus from the White House. It was announced earlier this month that Dina Powell, Trump's deputy national security adviser, was also planning to leave after the New Year.
Physical brawl
Meanwhile, some reports stated that Manigault Newman’s sudden departure came after a dust off between her and Kelly on Tuesday night.
A White House official told The Wall Street Journal that she had to be “physically dragged and escorted off the campus.”
Other reports suggested that Manigault Newman hurled curse words at Kelly and demanded to meet Trump in person but the chief of staff shut her down saying this was not like “going to the principal’s office.”
Omarosa also tried to take credit for delivering the African American vote to Trump in last year’s presidential election.
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