Last Updated Dec 13, 2017 11:02 AM EST
Former “Apprentice” reality star Omarosa Manigault Newman is leaving her post in the Trump administration.
The White House issued a statement Wednesday morning, saying that Manigault Newman “resigned yesterday to pursue other opportunities.” They added that her departure “will not be effective until January 20, 2018. We wish her the best in future endeavors and are grateful for her service.”
Manigault Newman’s decision comes at the start of what’s expected to be a round of departures heading into the new year. The White House announced last week that deputy national security adviser Dina Powell will leave the administration early next year.
Omarosa Manigault at Trump Tower on Dec. 13, 2016.
Seth Wenig, AP
Manigault Newman was a vocal advocate for Mr. Trump during his presidential campaign and had previously accompanied the president-elect while on the trail, serving as his director of African-American outreach. Manigault Newman later joined the transition team after the 2016 election where she served on the executive committee.
She joined the administration as director of communications for the White House Office of Public Liaison, working on outreach to various constituency groups.
In the months after joining the White House, Manigault Newman ruffled feathers in her role within the administration. The Congressional Black Caucus called out the White House aide after she extended an invitation to the 49 members of the caucus to the White House for a meeting.
Manigault Newman, whose official title is Assistant to the President and Director of Communications of the Office of Public Liaison, was ridiculed on Twitter for signing the letter as “The Honorable Omarosa Manigault.”
The CBC had been skeptical of Manigault Newman’s role as an advocate for the black community in the Trump White House and her self-publicized degree of influence. A CBC source told CBS News that the group was not interested in what they predicted would be another “photo-op.
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