Former White House aide Omarosa Manigault-Newman reportedly states in her book that she was offered a monthly salary of $15,000 for signing a nondisclosure agreement. Finance records obtained by ABC News appear to back this claim.
According to the network, federal election filings show a number of former Trump aides have received monthly payments of around $15,000. The money comes from either the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee, or the America First PAC, but it’s not clear if the payments are in exchange for the former aides’ silence.
Those receiving payments—either directly or through firms they manage—include former director of Oval Office operations Keith Schiller, former personal assistant to the president John McEntee, former digital media director of the Trump campaign Brad Parscale, and former director of advertising for the Trump campaign Gary Coby, ABC reports. The salaries are listed for “security services,” “payroll,” “digital consulting [and] management consulting,” and “media services [and] consulting,” respectively.
The White House has not responded to the claims of hush money, although Trump has publicly attacked Manigault-Newman after tweeting she, too, signed an NDA, a statement she denies.
Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, told ABC earlier this week that NDAs are standard practice for any workplace, Politico reports. “That’s not hush money,” she said. But Manigault-Newman says she was offered a salary for a “job” that required no work—only her signature on an NDA.
The Washington Post obtained copies of Trump’s NDAs and reported they have “breathtakingly broad prohibitions,” forbidding signers from publicly criticizing Trump, his family, or his business affiliations.
These NDAs may not be legally enforceable for public servants, however, as federal employees must report to Congress and answer inquiries by federal agencies, The New York Times reports. They’re also supported by strong whistle-blower protections if they choose to speak out.