White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday said there are “a lot of different protocols” that explain why Omarosa Manigault Newman is still getting paid by President Donald Trump’s administration despite her resignation.
“Why are the taxpayers continuing to pay her salary for another month if she’s no longer here at the White House?” CNN’s Jeff Zeleny asked Sanders during her daily briefing.
“I’m not going to weigh in any further, as we often do,” Sanders said. “The President likes Omarosa, thanked her for her service, and again she’ll be here later this afternoon, so she’s resigned from her position, but there’s really nothing else to add on that front.”
“If she’s resigned, though, why is she on the payroll for another month? Is that normal?” Zeleny pressed.
“Look, there is a lot of different protocols that take place in the government. That’s part of the process. If you want to reach out to HR, they might be able to walk you through that in a more detailed way,” Sanders said. “Thankfully I haven’t been through the process myself so I can’t speak to it from firsthand knowledge.”
The White House on Wednesday announced that Manigault Newman resigned “to pursue other opportunities” and said her departure “will not be effective until January 20, 2018.”
American Urban Radio Networks’ April Ryan reported later Wednesday that Manigault Newman, a former contestant on “The Apprentice,” spoke with White House chief of staff John Kelly about her departure and subsequently “tried to go into the residence.”
“And mind you, Gen. Kelly has cut off her walk-in access to go into the Oval Office and things of that nature,” Ryan said. “She was escorted off the property.”
Ryan in February said that Manigault Newman “physically intimidated” her at one point and claimed the White House had “dossiers” of negative information on journalists, including Ryan.
Sanders ended her briefing with a quip that appeared to reference Ryan’s reporting on Manigault Newman’s departure and their previous animosity.
“April, I’m looking forward to having some pie with you here momentarily,” she said, to laughter, before leaving the room.
Trump offered his own summary of Manigault Newman’s tenure during a photo opportunity Thursday afternoon: “I like Omarosa. Omarosa is a good person.”
This post has been updated.
