"This is a White House where everybody lies ... you have to have your back," Manigault Newman said on NBC's "Meet the Press" on why she recorded her conversation with Kelly as he was firing her.
"If I did not have this recording, people would still believe the false, incredible story that I was running around the White House ... that I tried to charge the residence of the White House. People would still think that I was trying to set off alarms," she continued. "So yes I recorded myself and I have no regret about it."
In the 20-second recording aired on NBC, Kelly can be heard saying that Manigault Newman can "go on without any type of difficulty" relative to her reputation "if we make this a friendly departure."
"I think it's important to understand that if we make this a friendly departure, we can all be, you know you can look at your time here in the White House as a year of service to the nation. And then you can go on without any type of difficulty in the future, relative to your reputation," he said.
Manigault Newman went on to say that Kelly's words were "very obviously a threat."
Many journalists and lawyers in the national security community were quick to point out that the recording should not have happened.
Related - Ex-Klingon analyst outrage over Kelly recording.