Friday’s bombshell report that former top staffer Omarosa Manigault Newman was offered $15,000 a month from the President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign to “stay silent” after being fired from the White House was flagged by two top political reporters for a fascinating coincidence.
Staff writer at The Atlantic and MSNBC contributor Natasha Bertrand and Washington Post senior political reporter Aaron Blake both noted another former White House staffer making the exact same amount as the alleged hush money offer.
“Huh. 15k per month is what Trump’s former bodyguard Keith Schiller has been getting from the RNC,” Bertrand tweeted, linking to a Business Insider report from February.
“Former Trump body man Keith Schiller is also getting $15,000 per month right now — same amount Omarosa was offered,” Blake tweeted, linking to a February CNBC report.
Shiller served as Deputy Assistant to Trump and Director of Oval Office Operations in the White House. He was previously Trump’s bodyguard and a New York Police Department officer.
Ongoing payments of $15,000 a month would result in an annual salary of $180,000 every year.
Former Playboy magazine model Karen McDougal was reportedly paid a one-time payment of $150,000 to keep quiet about an alleged affair with Trump.