Trump-Omarosa row: Former White House aide says she 'will not be bullied' by president after 'dog' tweet and legal action

President also called Omarosa Manigault Newman a 'lowlife'

Trump claims he doesn't know about Omarosa's firing in leaked audio of purported phone call between President and former WH comms director

Former White House aide Omarosa Manigault-Newman has said that she “will not be silenced” or “bullied” by Donald Trump after his campaign starting legal action alleging breach of a secrecy agreement amid a spat over a new book.

Mr Trump earlier called Ms Manigault-Newman a “dog” and a “lowlife” over the explosive new book, Unhinged, which makes several unflattering allegations against the president

The arbitration was filed with the America Arbitration Association in New York, and claims Ms Manigault-Newman’s book and media tour breached her 2016 confidentiality agreement with the campaign.

“Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. has filed an arbitration against Omarosa Manigault-Newman, with the American Arbitration Association in New York City, for breach of her 2016 confidentiality agreement with the Trump Campaign,” a Trump campaign official said in a statement.

Ms Manigault-Newman has made numerous television appearances and given a number of interviews in recent days promoting her book in which she reveals private conversations during her time on the campaign and in the White House. She has also released several audio recordings of conversations she had with Mr Trump and campaign aides.

On Tuesday evening, the former aide said that she would not be “intimidated” by the legal action from Mr Trump’s campaign.

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Ms Manigault-Newman said she believes the action was intended to keep her from telling her story. “I’m not going to be bullied by Donald Trump,” she told the Associated Press

During an earlier appearance, Ms Manigault-Newman told MSNBC that she had been interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller’s team, which is investigating Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election and has been a regular target for Mr Trump.

“I have,” Ms Manigault-Newman said when asked if she had spoken to Mr Mueller’s team, which is considering potential ties between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia.

Mr Trump himself has indicated Ms Manigault-Newman had signed a non-disclosure agreement that now appears to be a point of contention between the two sides, tweeting on Monday about the supposed document.

“Wacky Omarosa already has a fully signed Non-Disclosure Agreement!” Mr Trump tweeted.

Since the start of Ms Manigault-Newman’s press tour, Mr Trump has repeatedly vented his frustration over the disclosures made in the new book, and has called his former White House aide a “crazed, crying lowlife” and a “dog”.

“When you give a crazed, crying lowlife a break, and give her a job at the White House, I guess it just didn’t work out,” Mr Trump tweeted on Tuesday. “Good work by General Kelly for quickly firing that dog!”

[14 August 2018 14:10 · Mythili Sampathkumar]

Welcome to The Independent's live blog on the latest updates about Omarosa Manigault-Newman, known more infamously as simply Omarosa the villain from her appearances on Donald Trump's reality television show The Apprentice beginning in 2004. 

Ms Manigault-Newman, who was let go from her White House adviser post in December 2017, has released her book, titled Unhinged: An Insider’s Account of the Trump White House today and she said it promises to unearth “a lot of very corrupt things happening in the White House," as she said yesterday on the Today show. 

[14 August 2018 14:29 · Mythili Sampathkumar]

When Ms Manigault-Newman was sacked by Chief of Staff John Kelly in December 2017, it was one of many high-profile staffers who had been unceremoniously dumped by the White House. 

She said leaving her post as an assistant to the president and liaison to the African-American community was like being "freed from a plantation". 

[14 August 2018 15:02 · Mythili Sampathkumar]

Of course, Mr Trump has not allowed Ms Manigault-Newman's claims in her new book to go unanswered. He had already called her a "lowlife" in public comments at a rally before saying in a string of tweets the past few days that she is "wacky," even though he admitted it was "not presidential" to insult her in this manner. Naturally, the tweets ended with his favourite insult: saying the "fake news" media would legitimise his former aide. 

[14 August 2018 15:02 · Mythili Sampathkumar]

And the tweets did not stop, with Mr Trump going as far as calling Ms Manigault-Newman a "dog". 

[14 August 2018 15:08 · Mythili Sampathkumar]

  Reactions on social media have been swift and harsh to Mr Trump's insults of Ms Manigault-Newman, across the political spectrum as well.          

[14 August 2018 15:43 · Mythili Sampathkumar]

The presidential tweet storm and insulting remarks all stem from Ms Manigault-Newman's book and her claim on Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press programme that she heard a tape of Mr Trump using the n-word, adding the audio "confirmed that he is truly a racist."

She also said Mr Trump "certainly hated" predecessor Barack Obama because of his race. 

[14 August 2018 16:05 · Mythili Sampathkumar]

Pete Souza, the official White House photographer during Mr Obama's two terms in office, has made an art form out of trolling Mr Trump. 

His Instagram account includes nearly-daily comparisons and subtle digs at the president, presenting Mr Obama in stark contrast. He even turned it into a coffee table book. 

Here is Mr Souza's latest response to Mr Trump calling former White House aide Ms Manigault-Newman a "dog" for criticising him in her new book, titled Unhinged: An Insider’s Account of the Trump White House. 

[14 August 2018 16:46 · Mythili Sampathkumar]

Donald Trump's campaign has filed arbitration action against Omarosa Manigault-Newman for allegedly breaching a secrecy agreement signed with the campaign in 2016. Her tell-all book hit shelves today. 

Mr Trump claimed the former White House aide had signed a non-disclosure agreement in 2016 with his campaign which barred her from sharing some of the information in the book.

The legal action filed with the  American Arbitration Association in New York Cityalso comes the same day when the president has been railing on Ms Manigault-Newman's accusation the president is a racist. 

She acknowledged signing a confidentiality agreement with the campaign in 2016 and in the book she had written that after her sacking in December 2017, she was offered a $15,000 per month position with Mr Trump's 2020 campaign if she signed a new confidentiality agreement.

She said she declined that offer.  

[14 August 2018 17:01 · Mythili Sampathkumar]

In her book, Ms Manigault-Newman did not just claim Mr Trump was a racist and used the n-word on numerous occasions. She also described a teleconference with other Trump aides including Eric Trump's then-aide Lynne Patton, campaign spokesperson Katrina Pearson, and communications director Jason Miller. 

She released the audio of the conference today and in it, Ms Pierson can be heard saying "he said. No, he said it. He is embarrassed by it". 

[14 August 2018 17:18 · Mythili Sampathkumar]

The White House, through Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, has said in a statement Ms Manigault-Newman's is “is riddled with lies and false accusations". 

“It’s sad that a disgruntled former White House employee is trying to profit off these false attacks, and even worse that the media would now give her a platform, after not taking her seriously when she had only positive things to say about the President during her time in the administration," Ms Sanders claimed.