Omarosa: Reports I Was Fired, Escorted From White House '100 Percent False'
WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork) -- Former reality TV star Omarosa Manigault Newman says reports that she was fired from the White House are "100 percent false."
In an interview Thursday, she also denied reports that she had to be escorted from White House grounds and said reports that she tried to enter the president's residence were "absurd."
"It's ridiculous to assert that anyone would be able to violate the security parameters that are outlined in the most secure building in the world," she said.
Manigault Newman said she resigned after speaking with White House chief of staff John Kelly.
"I resigned, and I didn't do that in the residence as being reported," she said. "John Kelly and I sat down in the situation room, which is a very secure, very quiet room in the White House, and we had a very candid conversation, and I wanted to make the one-year mark, that was one of the goals I set out to and then get back to my life."
Manigault Newman said she and Kelly "had a very straightforward discussion about concerns that I had, issues that I had raised and as a result, I resigned, and it will be taking place January the 20th when I leave this very interesting administration."
She added that the Secret Service put out a statement about the situation because "I think that they were bothered with the assertion that they were involved with any type of escorting or shutting me down, that sort of thing."
The Secret Service denied late Wednesday that its officers physically forced Manigault Newman from the premises,CBS News reported.
Manigault Newman also said the initial reports of her departure stem from "one individual who has a personal vendetta against me."
"Only one person, no one else, has reported what she's reporting, and this is the one person who has attacked me for the last year, and so you know that this is personal," Manigault Newman said.
She also said if she had confronted Kelly, who she called "a very formidable person," it would "garner enough attention for anyone in the room to at least take a picture or video or something."
Manigault Newman said her access to the president may have caused some issues with members of the staff.
"Certainly I had more access than most, and people had problems with that. People have problems with my 14-year relationship with this president. But I've always been loyal to him, straightforward, and I've provided him with the support that he's needed throughout this year in the White House," she said.
Manigault Newman was asked about what she thought of the president's reaction to violence in Charlottesville and his endorsement of Roy Moore.
"There were a lot of things that I observed during the last year that I was very unhappy with, very uncomfortable with. Things that I observed, that I heard, that I listened to," she said. "Quite a story to tell. As the only African-American woman in this White House as a senior staff and assistant to the president, I have seen things that have made me uncomfortable. That have upset me. That have affected me deeply and emotionally. That has affected my community and my people. And when I can tell my story, it is a profound story that I know the world will want to hear."
When questioned by reporters about these comments Thursday afternoon, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said such sentiments were new to her but she refused to discuss the issue further.
"She resigned from her position yesterday, she'll be here this afternoon," Sanders said, citing White House human resource protocols. "We don't comment much further than that on personnel matters."
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump tweeted: "Thank you Omarosa for your service! I wish you continued success."
"I like Omorosa," Trump said during an afternoon presentation about deregulation Thursday afternoon. "Omorosa is a good person."
