Omarosa Manigault-Newman sure knows how to work a room. For whatever reason, the National Association of Black Journalist thought it would make sense to invite her as a panelist for its annual conference in New Orleans this week, and it obviously didn’t go well.
For starters, the White House staffer’s semi-surprise appearance at Friday’s (Aug. 11) event was leaked to the New York Post in advance. As a result, some journalists refused to participate in the panel which was focussed on police brutality, reports the Washington Post.
Veteran journalist, Ed Gordon, stepped in as a last-minute moderator, but it didn’t take long before things got heated. Video from the audience shows Omarosa pacing the stage at one point in a verbal showdown with Gordon after she was asked about her job within Donald Trump’s administration, and the POTUS encouraging police brutality during a speech last month.
“I’m not going to stand here and defend [Trump’s] every word or decision but I will tell my story,” she said before accusing Gordon of “dismissing” her attempts to speak about the loss of her father and brother, both of whom were murdered in separate incidents.
Omarosa and Ed are on their feet, giving every single journalist in this room what they came for – drama. #NABJ17 pic.twitter.com/ZBmE502V1F
— maya king (@mayaaliah) August 11, 2017
Keeping up with her reputation for awkward encounters, Manigault-Newman apparently uttered “Google me,” when taken to task on her actual position in the administration.
“You don’t walk away from the table,” she said of her decision to join Trump’s team as a Director of Communications for the Office of Public Liaison. “Because if you’re not on the table, you’re on the menu.”
In the end, the 43-year-old former reality star opted to leave the panel early. Check below for more tweets from her eventful day at NABJ 2017.
Omarosa literally just ran out. #NABJ17
— Zerlina Maxwell (@ZerlinaMaxwell) August 11, 2017
General feeling from #NABJ17 – Omarosa panel was a disaster waiting to happen, should never have been invited. Members feel disrespected
— Dexter R. Mullins (@dextermullins) August 11, 2017
Activists standing with their back to Omarosa. pic.twitter.com/wpYTvpfEal
— Adrian Carrasquillo (@Carrasquillo) August 11, 2017
Omarosa Manigault has said today that President Trump joking about police roughing up people is wrong.
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) August 11, 2017
Omarosa just told this moderator, “Shame on you.” His response literally included, “so here’s what you’re not gonna do…” #NABJ17
— Sam Sanders (@samsanders) August 11, 2017
More attendees turn their back to @OMAROSA presence at #NABJ17 pic.twitter.com/3W0FoG0aRc
— Haniyyah Sharpe (@OnPoint24_7) August 11, 2017
this omarosa appearance is beneath NABJ
— Wesley Lowery (@WesleyLowery) August 11, 2017