Previous President TrumpDonald trumpTexas Does Not Hire A Private Contractor For The Election Audit Lack of helicopter space forced Ivanka Trump and Kushner to abandon their plans to meet with Queen Elizabeth II: book Former Bush strategist Matthew Dowd ran for Texas Democrat. governor PLUS May Face New Torrent Of Unfavorable Revelations From Former Employees Following Former "Apprentice" Star And Former White House Aide Omarosa Manigault Newman
Omarosa Manigault NewmanTrump loses bid to enforce Omarosa Manigault Newman's NDA Judge denies Omarosa Manigault Newman's request to depose Trump and John Kelly in lawsuit Tanden seeks to defuse Republican tensions over tweets PLUS won a key victory in recent days.
Trump has spent years trying to hit back at Manigault Newman, who wrote a critical book about her time as communications director at the White House Office of Public Liaison.
Manigault Newman had signed a nondisclosure agreement with the 2016 Trump campaign, which according to Trump's legal team was violated for his authorship of the book. But the deal was overturned by a New York referee on Friday. The decision was first reported by The New York Times on Tuesday.
Manigault Newman's victory could embolden others who signed confidentiality agreements with Trump. The former White House staff member says that is already happening.
She told this column in a telephone conversation Tuesday night that "people have been reaching out even in the last 24 hours to tell their stories and to consult with my legal team."
The attorneys who worked on his case agreed.
The implications of the arbitrator's findings should be "terrifying" for Trump, according to Manigault Newman's lead attorney, John Phillips.
He added that he believed Manigault Newman's NDA wording was essentially the same as that of many other former Trump employees.
"I think it is effectively over for this NDA," Phillips said.
J. Wyndal Gordon, a trial attorney also on the Manigault Newman team, said: โThere are many others who signed this agreement and, as far as they know, they have been forced to keep some secrecy because they feared the wrath of Mr. Trump. However, this case really liberates a lot of those who really wanted to have something to say but felt silenced โby the NDA.
Trump has already been the subject of some withering tales. In recent days, embarrassing revelations of a forthcoming book by the former White House communications director have been reported. Stephanie grisham
Stephanie grishamLack of helicopter space forced Ivanka Trump and Kushner to abandon their plans to meet with Queen Elizabeth II: book New book sheds light on Trump's mysterious visit to Walter Reed in November 2019 Former aide says Trump told Putin at summit he was going to act tougher 'for the cameras' PLUS. Now there may be more to come.
Manigault Newman was fired from his post at the White House by the then chief of staff John kelly
John Francis KellyPLUS in 2017 and the following year he published a book entitled "Unhinged". Among other details, he alleged that Trump was intolerant and mentally retarded. Shortly after the book was published, the Trump campaign filed the arbitration action.
Around the same time, Trump attacked Manigault Newman on Twitter, referring to her as a "dog" and a "bad life."
But the New York arbitrator said the provisions of the NDA could not be upheld because they were so "vague and undefined."
The referee, T. Andrew Brown, added: "There is no way to know if a violation has occurred here, as the determination of whether a violation exists is left to the sole determination of Mr. Trump."
Manigault Newman told The Hill that he had found three years of fighting for the NDA, a fight that began when Trump still had more than two years left of his term in the White House, "quite an uphill battle."
โIt was difficult and also expensive. The only people I spoke to were my legal team, my husband and my therapist, because being sued by the president while in office was tremendously difficult for me and my family, โhe said.
The former "Apprentice" star, who has known Trump since 2003, said he was well aware of his tough tactics against those he believed had crossed paths with him.
โFor 17 years, I have seen this humiliating litigation over and over again. I wake up one day and I'm dying, โhe said. โAt the time he was the most powerful man in this country, if not the world, and the power of his tweets during this litigation cannot be overstated. One tweet would unleash more terror, and all these followers and bots. "
Trump is known to have been banished from Twitter and various other social media platforms since he incited the Jan.6 riot on Capitol Hill. But he attacked Manigault Newman in a statement to The Hill and other media outlets after the arbitration decision was made public.
Trump maintained that Manigault Newman "failed" during "The Apprentice" adding: "At her desperate request, I gave her a try at the White House and she failed there too, people really hated her."
The former president also insisted: โNo one in his life has done more for Omarosa than a man named Donald Trump. Unfortunately, like some others, she forgot about that, which is fine by me! "
The former president may be in part sore that his campaign is now on the hook to pay Manigault Newman's costs and legal fees, fees that are sure to be substantial given the length of the case.
"Everything I learned in the boardroom from 'The Apprentice' to the Oval Office, I was able to apply in this situation," said Manigault Newman. "I was able to emerge victorious and now he has to pay potentially millions in legal fees and costs."
When asked about Trump's future presidential ambitions, he is scathing.
"Donald is threatening to run again, not because he wants to improve the country or strengthen our democracy. In short, he wants revenge," he said.
Phillips, her lead attorney, pays tribute to her bravery in pursuing legal action.
Phillips noted that he also represents Joe Exotic, the star of the Netflix hit "Tiger King."
Representing those clients, Phillips added, means that he has "the pleasure of representing two of the most compelling figures that reality shows have brought us."
The Memo is a column reported by Niall Stanage.
