Donald Trump refuses Melania Trump’s speech writer’s resignation
The speechwriter working for Donald Trump’s campaign identified herself Wednesday as Meredith McIver, the person responsible for plagiarism in Melania Trump’s convention speech and offered her resignation.
McIver apologized in a statement sent out by the campaign and said Donald and Melania Trump would not accept her resignation.
“She made a mistake … we all make mistakes,” Trump told ABC News later Wednesday.
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McIver explained that she included the passages from Michelle Obama’s speech after listening to Melania read passages from the 2008 address.
“Over the phone, she read me some passages from Mrs. Obama’s speech as examples. I wrote them down and later included some of the phrasing in the draft that ultimately became the final speech. I did not check Mrs. Obama’s speeches. This was my mistake, and I feel terrible for the chaos I have caused Melania and the Trumps, as well as to Mrs. Obama. No harm was meant.”
McIver explained that the Trump family rejected her resignation, because, “Mr. Trump told me that people make innocent mistakes and that we learn and grow from these experiences” adding that said she “asked” to put out a statement because she was concerned about how the controversy was “distracting from Mr. Trump’s historic campaign for president and Melania’s beautiful message and presentation.”
“I apologize for the confusion and hysteria my mistake has caused. Today, more than ever, I am honored to work for such a great family,” McIver said in the statement.
“The speech was very effective and communicated those feelings,” Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort said Tuesday of Melania’s speech on CNN’s “New Day.” “The controversy you’re talking about is not meaningful at all. She’s not a candidate for office. She was expressing her personal feelings about her country and her husband and why he’s best for the United States.”
Manafort on Wednesday agreed Melania Trump’s speech used “similar words” to Obama’s and insisted, “I’m not lying about anything.”
The Republican National Committee also boosted the Trump campaign’s defense, with its communications director Sean Spicer slapping down plagiarism charges by pointing to similar words and themes in everything from John Legend songs to “My Little Pony.”
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