’Say Yes to the Dress‘ Doesn’t Pay for Gowns — but Made an Exception for Omarosa
The Apprentice isn’t the only reality show on which the former TV-villain-turned-White-House-adviser Omarosa Manigault has appeared. A current member of the communications team for the Trump administration, Manigault will also appear on the latest season of Say Yes to the Dress.
The recent public financial disclosures made by the Trump administration of some of its senior staff reveals that Manigault received $25,000 from Kleinfeld’s in New York — the bridal shop in which the New York version of Say Yes to the Dress is filmed — for her “celebrity” appearance on the longtime TLC bridal-fashion franchise.
And while it’s unusual to see a senior White House aide who has appeared on not one but two reality TV franchises, Manigault’s compensation for appearing on Say Yes to the Dress might raise concerns over potential ethics violations.
The payment by Kleinfeld to Manigault is also unusual since, as stated policy, Kleinfeld’s provides no compensation for appearing on the show or for any purchases made in the store.
As seen in the recent snafu involving Trump senior counselor Kellyanne Conway and her endorsing first daughter and White House staffer Ivanka Trump’s clothing line while speaking in a professional capacity, things can get murky when it comes to White House staff seemingly promoting other businesses while also maintaining their executive branch roles.
According to the White House Office of Government Ethics, “[E]xecutive branch employees are subject to restrictions on the gifts that they may accept from sources outside the Government. Unless an exception applies, executive branch employees may not accept gifts that are given because of their official positions or that come from certain interested sources.”
Manigault’s segment of Say Yes to the Dress was filmed prior to the Trump inauguration, however, so it is likely less problematic — albeit unconventional — for her to have been compensated to the tune of five-figures by the bridal retailer for her appearance.
She became engaged to be married in June 2016 while working as Trump campaign staffer. In February, Manigault was heckled while shopping for bridesmaids dresses at a Nordstrom in suburban Washington, D.C.
While no official details regarding Manigault’s wedding to Florida pastor John Allen Newman have yet been revealed, Manigault recently posted several pictures on Instagram regarding her nuptials, including one of her trying on a wedding headpiece.
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