In the three weeks since former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman revealed (and President Trump acknowledged) the existence of nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) signed by White House staffers, news networks have continued to book guests and paid contributors who have admitted to signing such agreements. In August, news networks booked at least 11 Trump associates no fewer than 89 times who admitted to signing NDAs while in the White House or on the 2016 Trump campaign, according to closed-captioning records. Four of those guests were paid network contributors, and more than two-thirds of the appearances occurred after White House counselor Kellyanne Conway told ABC News that the Trump administration “absolutely” makes staff members sign confidentiality agreements. Despite this, few anchors even acknowledge to viewers the existence of guest and contributor NDAs. Defending the hiring of former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski in 2016, CNN President Jeff Zucker told Variety that Lewandowski was not offering talking points, even as he continued to receive paychecks from the Trump campaign.

Source: Washington Post August 31, 2018 20:01 UTC