Trump's invite to Congressional Black Caucus SNUBBED - with members offended at his aide Omarosa signing herself 'Honorable'

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The Congressional Black Caucus announced Wednesday afternoon that members had voted to decline an invitation to meet President Trump at the White House that was extended to them by 'the Honorable Omarosa Manigault,' a title that ruffled some lawmakers' feathers. 

'Through an objective assessment, we have seen no evidence that your administration acted on our calls for action, and we have in fact witnessed steps that will affirmatively hurt Black communities,' wrote Chairman Cedric Richmond, D-La., in a letter to the president, who had wanted a meeting with the entire caucus, as a follow-up to a leadership meeting that took place in March. 

'While we agreed to explore possible future discussions when we first met, it has become abundantly clear that a conversation with the entire CBC would not be entirely productive, given the actions taken by your Administration since our first meeting,' Richmond continued.  

Richmond stated that he believed a 'social gathering' would serve no purpose, outlining a number of issues that caucus-members believe the White House let them down on.

Manigault told DailyMail.com in response that the White House would continue to work with individual members of the caucus who reach out and that she was 'disappointed' that Richmond was reneging on the agreement.

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Congressional Black Caucus members, shown at the White House at a meeting in March, declined an invitation for a caucus-wide meeting with President Trump

The Congressional Black Caucus tweeted the letter sent to them by 'the honorable Omarosa Manigault' linking to a letter Chairman Cedric Richmond sent to the president, declining the invitation 

The invitation to meet with President Donald Trump (right) was extended by the Office of Public Liaison's Director of Communications Omarosa Manigault (left) 

Leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus met with President Trump, along with Omarosa Manigault, in March 

Politico first obtained a copy of the invitation, with sources telling the news organization that the CBC's 49 members didn't want to be used as political props, as they feel the Trump administration hasn't done much to bolster their causes.

The group consists of all Democrats except one, Rep. Mia Love, a Republican from Utah.  

'No one wants to be a co-star on the reality show,' one senior Democratic aide told the news organization. 

Additionally, members were annoyed by Manigault, an ex-reality TV star turned White House aide and unofficial liaison to the black community, using the term 'honorable' to describe herself.

'As requested by the president, we would like to schedule a follow-up meeting with the entire membership of the Congressional Black Caucus to discuss issues pertinent to your members,' Manigault wrote in the invitation on June 9, signing it 'honorable.'

While there are strict rules in the U.K. about who can use 'honourable,' in the United States the term is usually reserved for current and former public officials. 

Omarosa Manigault (second from left) sits in during a meeting between the leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus and the president and vice president 

However, those officials tend to be judges, justices or people holding elected office including mayors, governors and members of Congress – not un-elected White House aides.  

In his letter to Trump, Richmond outlined the more serious considerations. 

He said that during the original meeting between Trump administration officials, including Manigault, and CBC members, the lawmakers brought along a 130-page policy document on the 'difficult history of Black people in this country, the history of the CBC, and solutions to advance Black families in the 21 century.' 

'Your administration has yet to provide a response to the policies we presented,' Richmond said. 'In fact, based on the actions taken by you and your Administration since that meeting it appears that our concerns, and your state receptiveness to them, fell on deaf ears.' 

Trump's 2018 budget proposal particularly rattled caucus-members, with Richmond pointing out that cuts to Pell Grants and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps seniors and other low-income Americans afford heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer, would 'devastate' communities of colors, and many of the communities that put the president in office. 

The letter was also highly critical of Trump's Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has reversed course from the Obama administration, to restart the 'war on drugs.' 

This, Richmond suggested, would lead to more mass incarceration of African-Americans. 

Sessions has also announced a review of police consent degrees, which are supposed to curb excessive force and racial profiling. 

Richmond said this was a misstep. 

'These shortsighted decisions represent willful ignorance by relying on ideology instead of data and compassion,' the chairman wrote. 'Every dollar we spend on incarceration renders our communities less safe.' 

Turning to education, Richmond said that a number of Historically Black Colleges and Universities lost federal funding under the leadership of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Additionally, the president questioned the constitutionality of funding certain HBCU programs 'an action that we immediately objected to.' 

Richmond also said the Congressional Black Caucus is against the Obamacare repeal, suggesting that black Americans would be some of the hardest hit if Medicaid is chopped and states cut benefits.  

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus were turned off by Omarosa Manigault's use of 'honorable' on an invitation she sent them asking them to a White House meeting 

In a final touch, the leader of the CBC counted eight times the CBC had reached out to administration officials, claiming the group of lawmakers received no response. 

Manigault told DailyMail.com of the dispute: 'The president extended the invitation, and I'm disappointed that Cedric Richmond went back on his commitment to meet regularly with the president to address the issues and concerns of the members of the Congressional Black Caucus.' 

 The White House has been 'extremely responsive' to Richmond, she said. 'Those claims are ridiculous.'

His letter is a 'partisan play,' she contended, and 'because of his decline we do not have to go through Cedric Richmond to take care of Americans represented by members of the CBC.'

'We will work directly with individual members, because that's what the president committed to do.'

The White House offered a completely different version of events that led to the letter than Richmond described.

Richmond had agreed to a meeting every 90 days when CBC leadership was at the White House in March.

Since then, legislative affairs representatives have reached out to him repeatedly about setting up a second meeting, and he never responded.   

At that point, Manigault sent out a formal letter to the entire caucus inviting them to the White House for a follow-up.

'He is not keeping his word,' an official said of Richmond. 'So I guess he wants to have a contentious relationship with President Trump.' 

The CBC had a troubled relationship with the last Oval Office occupant too, despite his party affiliation – and the fact that he was the nation’s first black president.

'If you look at the the CBC's relationship with the previous administration then you will understand why they are giving us such a hard time,' Manigault said after Richmond sent his letter to the president.

A year into his tenure CBC members and staff were grumbling about canceled lunches, unreturned calls and lectures that ruffled feathers from Barack Obama.

Longtime Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., told Politico the White House was 'not listening' to black lawmakers in a March, 11, 2010 article that came several days before the CBC lobbied Obama in person. 

It would be more than two years after that before the Democratic president would sit down with them at the White House again, according to CNN. 

'CBC in the previous admin had a contentious relationship with Obama,' the official said, pointing to a report in The Root detailing the highs and lows of the two-term president's dealings with the caucus. 

Black lawmakers eventually warmed to Obama, especially as his time in office came to an end. 

Faced with the prospect of Trump, who was once a birther, as Obama’s replacement, CBC members came to the Democrat's aid and accused the Republican of trying to de-legitimize the nation’s first black president.

The White House stressed Wednesday that Trump still wants to have a relationship with those members - if they want to have one with him.

'We will work directly with the members who reach out to us,' Manigault offered.