During Thursday’s tumultuous White House press briefing, the number one (and most important) topic was the resignation of White House staff secretary Rob Porter following serious allegations of spousal abuse and the Trump administration’s confounding response.
Other topics included government funding, North Korea, and the Olympic games, but the first non-Porter question was CBS correspondent Paula Reid shamelessly asking about comments made by former aide Omarosa on CBS’s Celebrity Big Brother.
“What is the White House's reaction to comments made by former White House aide Omarosa on Celebrity Big Brother when she said she is 'haunted' by the President’s tweets. She described the situation inside the White House as 'bad' and said it is not going to be okay,” Reid wondered to principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah.
Without hesitation, Shah hit back that they’re “not” taking her comments “very seriously.” He added amidst some audible groans in the briefing broom: “Omarosa was fired three times on The Apprentice and this was the fourth time we let her go. She had limited contact with the President while here. She has no contact now.”
Sure, one could argue that Omarosa’s comments are a story and worth covering, but for the person representing the network that airs the show to ask it is nothing more than pathetic corporate synergy. This would be like NBC asking about the Olympic games while working in a plug for their network’s primetime coverage.
Here’s the relevant transcript from February 8's White House press briefing:
White House press briefing
February 8, 2018
3:49 p.m. EasternPAULA REID: What is the White House's reaction to comments made by former White House aide Omarosa on Celebrity Big Brother when she said she is “haunted” by the President’s tweets. She described the situation inside the White House as “bad” and said it is not going to be okay.
RAJ SHAH: Not very seriously. Omarosa was fired three times on The Apprentice [REPORTER SHRIEKS] and this was the fourth time we let her go. She had limited contact with the President while here. She has no contact now.
