Personally, I blame The West Wing.

As the series ground on, more and more of the action took place in the White House Situation Room. Because of this, I contend, in the public mind, the place has taken on the aura of a mystical realm halfway between Rivendell and U.N.C.L.E headquarters. And given how "national security" has been sacralized beyond most other functions of the national government, there is something of the reek of incense to the place, too.

Consequently, the revelation by Omarosa Manigault Newman that she had recorded her firing by White House chief of staff John Kelly In The Situation Room! has caused an eruption of horror, mock and otherwise, from assorted quarters. Reliably, the most disingenuous of these came from Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House Chief Of Prevarication and Secretary of Mendacity. From Business Insider:

"The very idea a staff member would sneak a recording device into the White House Situation Room shows a blatant disregard for our national security — and then to brag about it on national television further proves the lack of character and integrity of this disgruntled former White House employee."

Shocked, shocked! I tell you.

First of all, this is a person who shouldn't ever have been in the White House except as part of a tour. But since this administration* has all the vetting procedures of the average turnpike rest facility, there she was, in and out of the West Wing offices until, finally, she got canned in the mother of all secure areas. For those of us who still are amazed that Ryan Zinke is running the Interior Department, Omarosa is simply another clown leaping out of the car. This whole administration* is a farce. This was just a particularly well-written sketch.

(If there is any modern parallel, it's probably the strange case of Jeff Gannon, a former escort who scarfed some dubious press credentials back during the administration of C-Plus Augustus. This is probably worse.)

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Various conservative suckfish are in high dudgeon, demanding that the former director of communications for the Office of Public Liaisons be prosecuted and sent up the river. (I'm confused. I thought control of public liaisons was part of Michael Cohen's portfolio.) The crack White House legal team is "exploring options" in this area. Except, of course, there probably aren't any. Everybody else is cowering in fear of the imminent descent of a vengeful harpy. From ABC News:

Many within the White House fear Manigault Newman will release their private conversations. "She's on a different level," a senior White House official said. "She terrified me."

Good guess.

"People now understand that she has a lot," a former White House official said. "It's stopping people from punching back." While many say they guarded themselves from Manigault Newman, some fear their tangles with her will be broadcast, and they're unsure of just how many tapes she has in possession. "If you pissed off Omarosa, buckle up -- it's going to be a tough couple of weeks," said one former official. Another senior White House official described Newman as unprofessional, and recalled that she would shop online during meetings. The staffer said she witnessed Manigault Newman being verbally abusive to junior level staffers several times.

Only last Friday, I swore I wouldn't write about this episode. This president* makes liars of us all.

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Charles P. Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976.

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