Sources present close to April -- the White House correspondent who was awarded Journalist of the Year at the National Association of Black Journalists this weekend -- tell TMZ Omarosa continued her campaign of disruption during April's celebration.

We're told after her heated onstage exchange Friday with journalist and moderator Ed Gordon, Omarosa cornered CNN commentator Symone Sanders and verbally accosted her for talking trash on social media, suggesting Omarosa shouldn't have been there at all.

Other eyewitnesses tell us at some point Friday when April was being honored, Omarosa decided to crash the hotel bar where April and her friends were celebrating ... sitting at a table nearby as an intimidation tactic.

Fellow journalist Jarrett Hill posted a clip of himself making a toast, with a caption vowing not to allow Omarosa to steal April's thunder.

Sources close to Omarosa deny this account ... telling us she had no idea April was celebrating there and her presence simply happened by chance. The sources did not explain why Omarosa stayed.