White House changed cellphone policy after Omarosa recording in Situation Room: report

The White House altered its cellphone policy after former White house aide Omarosa Manigault Newman admitted to taping White House chief of staff John Kelly when he fired her in the Situation Room, CNN reports.

The policy requires staffers to leave their cellphones — government-issued or personal — in their offices or in lockers near the entrances to the West Wing before entering the Situation Room.

Previously, they were allowed to leave cellphones in lockers outside the room.

The move by the White House marked the second significant change in cellphone policy since President Trump took office.

{mosads}CNN said the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Hill has also reached out for comment.

Manigault Newman released the recording last month. She was fired in 2017.

“Yes I recorded myself and I have no regret about it,” Manigault Newman told NBC’s “Meet the Press” when the recording aired.

Conservatives have called into question the legality of Manigault Newman’s actions.

“Secretly recording conversations in the Situation Room isn’t just wildly inappropriate, it’s a threat to our national security. If she broke federal law, she should be prosecuted,” Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel tweeted after Omarosa’s admission.

Secretly recording conversations in the Situation Room isn’t just wildly inappropriate, it’s a threat to our national security. If she broke federal law, she should be prosecuted.

— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) August 12, 2018

Journalists, national security experts and former White House staffers have noted that phones aren’t allowed in the Situation Room for security concerns. However, it is unclear if Manigault Newman’s actions qualify as a criminal offense.