Omarosa Manigault Newman's release of a new secret recording, which she claims proves she was offered "hush money" by President Donald Trump's re-election campaign, has raised more questions than answers for Late Show host Stephen Colbert.
Namely, why President Donald Trump would send his "worst son's wife" to make the alleged deal in the first place.
In the recording, revealed by Manigault Newman on Thursday, Lara Trump, the wife of the president's son, Eric Trump, can be heard offering the former Trump aide $15,000 a month for a job which would involve staying "positive" about the president.
TONIGHT: Omarosa drops another tape and she is really going for the viral hit of the summer. #LSSC pic.twitter.com/U5NhjvNCFs
— A Late Show (@colbertlateshow) August 17, 2018
"It sounds a little like, obviously, that there are some things you've got in the back pocket to pull out," Lara can be heard saying in a discussion Manigault Newman claims took place on December 16, 2017.
"Clearly, if you come on board the campaign, like, we can't have–we got to… everybody positive, right?"
Manigault Newman described the offer as an attempt to "buy my silence, to censor me and pay me off," in an interview with MSNBC on Thursday.
After hearing the recording, Colbert had only one question, however: "Why is Lara Trump in charge of this?"
Imitating the president, the comedian said: "Look, super important meeting. Everybody in here. We can't have Omarosa spilling sensitive info that could destroy my presidency. We need someone to handle this delicately. Send my worst son's wife. Okay?" Colbert joked.
Earlier in the show, Colbert asked: "Do you ever think maybe it wasn't worth firing somebody? Because the Trump administration has gotta be thinking that about Omarosa.
"So, she hired a few Ubers and did her wedding photographs in the Rose Garden. Did that really undermine the dignity of the place where they pardon the turkeys?" he quipped.
After the secret tape was revealed, Lara Trump expressed disappointment over the release in a statement, saying: "On the Women for Trump tour, including Omarosa, we formed a sisterhood bond that is unlike any I have experienced in my life."
She said her family was "concerned" for Manigault Newman after she was fired from the White House in December.
She said she hopes the former Trump aide's decision will be "all worth it for you, Omarosa, because some things you just can't put a price on."
Manigault Newman has said she has many other secret recordings, which she plans to unleash "when the time is right."
Colbert, who is set to take a two-week break from his show, said: "I can tell you exactly when the time is right: two weeks from now when I'm back from vacation, okay? Not a moment before."
The comedian also took one last jab at the president, commenting on Manigault Newman calling Trump "Nixon" at one point in her interview with MSNBC.
Snapping his fingers, Colbert quipped: "That is an insult… to Richard Nixon."
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Chantal Da Silva is Chief Correspondent at Newsweek, with a focus on immigration and human rights. She is a Canadian-British journalist whose work ... Read more
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