The Trump administration began legal action against former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman which her attorney’s claim are due to the revelations in her best-selling book.

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The New York Times reports the White House asked the Justice Department to launch an investigation over unfiled paperwork resulting in a lawsuit against Manigault Newman. According to the report, her book announcement was made on July 26, 2018, and on July 27, email communication began “regarding authorization to communicate with the Office of the White House Counsel and discussing options for whether a lawsuit should be filed or not.”

According to theGrio, her memoir, “Unhinged: An Insider’s Account of the Trump White House,” was released in August 2018, ultimately reaching No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list. The book revealed her firsthand experience as a Black woman working under the current administration and portrayed POTUS as a racist and misogynist with declining mental health.

The department claims the lawyers assigned to review the dispute acted on facts when deciding to take legal action, according to the New York Times. Manigault-Newman’s legal team, however, believes differently.

“This was weaponization of a lawsuit by the White House for retaliation for writing a book — for saying offensive words about Mr. Trump,” said John Phillips, a lawyer for Manigault Newman, according to the news outlet. “This doesn’t just reek of retaliation; it is fairly provable to be retaliation, which violates the First Amendment,”

The former Apprentice contestant was fired from the White House in 2017. After she was escorted out of the building, she was unable to properly pack her office, denying her access to important paperwork. According to the Times, after being let go from her position, Manigault Newman was required to submit a report confirming various financial and travel matters. Without the files, however, she was unable to complete the form and the White House was allegedly slow to provide them.

Phillips argued that his client did not intentionally delay filing the paperwork but still, in June 2019 she was sued for $50,000. The next month, he said Manigault Newman finally received the necessary files and has since filled out and submitted the document. In May, she filed to dismiss the lawsuit, however, according to Law and Crime, the request was denied.

Jody Hunt, who the Times reports led the Justice Department’s Civil Division at the time the lawsuit was filed said the decision to take legal action was “a routine matter based upon the recommendation of career attorneys and had nothing to do with her book.”

In 2018, the Trump administration filed for arbitration claiming Manigault Newman breached a 2016 nondisclosure agreement with the campaign. According to The Hill, the president was angered by the release of her secret White House recordings to promote the tell-all.

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Trump also lashed out against his former mentee on Twitter, calling her a “lowlife,” and a “dog.”

When you give a crazed, crying lowlife a break, and give her a job at the White House, I guess it just didn’t work out. Good work by General Kelly for quickly firing that dog!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2018

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The post Trump administration sought lawsuit against Omarosa Manigault Newman following memoir appeared first on TheGrio.