Trump administration sought to sue Omarosa after she announced tell-all book: report

The White House reportedly referred a dispute over a form Omarosa Manigault Newman was required to fill out upon her departure from the Trump administration to the Justice Department a day after the former “Apprentice” contestant announced the completion of a tell-all book about her tenure as an aide to the president.

The New York Times reported Wednesday that the Justice Department received a referral about Manigault Newman’s refusal to fill out a form disclosing her travel and other expenditures until she was given access to records left in her former office just a day after she announced publicly that she planned to publish a book that was critical of the president and his staff.

White House officials declined to comment to the Times, and did not immediately return a request for comment from The Hill. An attorney for Manigault Newman told the Times that the administration’s action amounted to the “weaponization of a lawsuit by the White House for retaliation for writing a book — for saying offensive words about [President] Trump.”

The dispute over her form remains ongoing, though she filled out the form last year after being granted access to records which she had requested. The Justice Department is seeking a fine of “up to $50,000” from Manigault Newman over the dispute.

“This doesn’t just reek of retaliation; it is fairly provable to be retaliation, which violates the First Amendment,” Manigault Newman’s attorney continued.

Manigault Newman was fired in 2017 and escorted out of the White House following a conversation with then-chief of staff John Kelly, audio of which she later published. She later spoke about her time in the White House during appearances on “Celebrity Big Brother,” and published her tell-all book, “Unhinged,” in 2018.