Omarosa Manigault smiles at reporters as she walks through the lobby of Trump Tower in New York on December 13.  Associated Press/Seth Wenig Omarosa Manigault, a former "Apprentice" contestant who is now a communications official for President Donald Trump's administration, has been accused of verbally threatening a reporter last week and saying the White House has compiled "dossiers" of negative information on several journalists. 

The accusations were made by American Urban Radio Networks' White House correspondent, April Ryan, who told The Washington Post that Manigault "physically intimidated" her outside press secretary Sean Spicer's West Wing office on Wednesday. 

According to The Post, the altercation was sparked by emails Manigault sent Ryan in October, in which Manigault accused Ryan of being a "paid Clinton surrogate," which Ryan has denied. 

The disagreement escalated into a confrontation on Wednesday that was witnessed by White House staffers and Washington Post politics reporter Abby Phillip, although Phillip said she did not hear the entire exchange. 

"She stood right in my face like she was going to hit me," Ryan told The Post, adding that she thought Manigault's actions were threatening enough to warrant Secret Service intervention. 

Manigault then said the White House had "dossiers" on Ryan and several other African-American journalists, according to Ryan. 

"I said, 'Good for you, good for you, good for you,'" Ryan told The Post. 

In response to Ryan's allegations, Manigault told The Post, "My comment: Fake news!" 

Manigault has said the Trump administration plans to keep track of its critics, "though at the time she was referring to Republicans who voted against Trump," The Post reported. 

"Mr. Trump has a long memory, and we're keeping a list," Manigault told an Independent Journal Review reporter at Trump's election-night party. " It's so great our enemies are making themselves clear so that when we get into the White House, we know where we stand."