There is no doubt that every member of the Trump administration is taking turns being scrutinized by the public and the press and last week it was Omarosa Manigualt's turn. Page Six reported last Thursday that Manigault had been added to a panel for the National Association of Black Journalists conference for that Friday. News of her inclusion in the event turned it into what one attendee referred to as a "shit show". This refers to an exchange between Jason Johnson of The Root and editor Danielle Belton before the event as Johnson was part of the panel.

Manigault invite upsets some panelists

When the announcement was made, New York Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones who was supposed to moderate the event bailed. The New Yorker's Jelani Cobb also refused to show up. Despite this, both of them said that in their defense that they had they left because the setup for the event was unorganized and that there was no real format. According to Page Six, however, one source told them that the majority of the people who were there did not want Omarosa involved.

In an article by the Root titled: "Why I Participated in That Hot-Mess Panel With Omarosa at NABJ Last Week", Johnson mentions that he was added to the panel the day before, which somewhat confirms the view that the event was unorganized.

But Johnson also says that he and Omarosa have always had civil discussions with each other in past interviews. He stated that no one at the event should have expected it to have gone well especially if they do not understand that Manigault has little power in Trump's White House.

Omarosa becomes defensive

The event was called "Black and Blue: Raising Our Sons, Protecting Our Communities" which was panel discussion about police brutality.

It was reported that before Manigault entered the stage that the newly assigned moderator Ed Gordon asked that everyone try and be civil. She then entered and spoke about members of her family who were murdered in Youngstown, Ohio which is her hometown. It was when he asked her about how she could sit in the Trump administration when the President was clearly for police brutality against blacks that she became hostile and defensive.

She lashed out at Gordon for being hostile and said that the story about her family members being killed was being ignored.

White House aide battles the room

Manigault reportedly got up and went to the other site of the stage where she ordered him to ask his question but to not lecture her. She then proceeded to sabotage the panel by refusing to answer any more questions and was apparently checking her phone for the rest of the panel's Q&A. When she was asked about President Trump's comments where he told officers at an event that they didn't have to protect the heads of suspects when they put them in vehicles, she agreed that his comments were wrong but she also said that the White House took police brutality seriously.

Judging from her response, it's clear that she knows how the President's comment was perceived and unlike other Trump officials, she didn't try to spin it into another direction as if he meant something else.

As Johnson pointed out in his article, everything the White House aide became defensive about questions as if she were speaking on behalf of the administration again reminding Mr. Gordon that she was there to talk about her experience with violence. She also defended herself when she was appeared to be criticized for taking a job with the Trump White House saying that "if you're not on the table, you're on the menu".

Before she joined the White House, Omarosa was part of Donald Trump's NBC show, The Apprentice and Celebrity Apprentice.

Other reports of the event said that some people in the audience stood with their backs to Manigault and that others ended up walking out. The president of the organization, Sarah Glover, reportedly tried to regain control of the situation on the stage after 45 minutes. Towards the end, Manigault left quietly and was escorted by security.
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