Omarosa Manigault-Newman will appear at the National Association of Black Journalists conference in New Orleans on Friday, but two panelists have pulled out because Trump’s aide was included.
New York Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and the New Yorker’s Jelani Cobb pulled out of the event because of Omarosa’s participation, but the NABJ is standing by its decision to invite her.
The NABJ organization issued the following statement to TheWrap: “As an organization of professional journalists, NABJ seeks to have candid and frank conversations with newsmakers. For years, the NABJ has invited the White House administration to partake in the annual convention. We appreciate that the Director of Communications for the White House Office of Public Liaison Omarosa Newman is participating this year and has come to share her perspective on issues that are critical to our members, and moreover, critical to the communities that we serve.”
Cobb told the New York Post that the reason for pulling out “wasn’t simply the addition of Omarosa” but that he didn’t exactly support her presence.
“It was that she was added at the eleventh hour and it was unclear whether we would be able to discuss substantive issues regarding the administration and its policing policies. Also, the panel was very disorganized, and basic things like format were not clear,” Cobb said.
The National Association of Black Journalists conference is taking place from Aug. 9-13 at the Hilton Riverside in New Orleans. TheWrap has confirmed that Omarosa’s panel will take place as scheduled on Friday.