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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
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Trump Scribe Apologizes |for Melania Speech Flap

(CN) - An in-house staff writer at the Trump Organization on Wednesday said she was to blame for the plagiarized sentences in Melania Trump's speech before delegates at the Republican National Convention and that Donald Trump has rejected her offer to resign.

Melania Trump's speech on behalf of her husband Monday night became the buzz of the convention and among the national media when it was discovered that about four lines of her presentation were almost exactly the same as those first lady Michelle Obama delivered at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

In a statement released through the Trump campaign, Meredith McIver described herself as a "longtime friend and admirer of the Trump family" and said she helped Melania Trump with her speech.

In working on the speech, McIver said, "we discussed many people who inspired her and messages she wanted to share with the American people. A person she has always liked is Michelle Obama.

"Over the phone, she read me some passages from Mrs. Obama's speech as examples. I wrote them down and alter included some of the phrasing in the draft that ultimately became the final speech ... This was my mistake, and I feel terrible for the chaos I have caused Melania and the Trumps, as well as to Mrs. Obama," McIver continued. "No harm was meant."

McIver said she offered to resign on Tuesday, but Trump and his family refused to hear of it. She says the GOP presidential nominee told her everyone makes innocent mistakes and "that we learn and grow from these experiences."

McIver said she asked to put out a statement because "I did not like seeing the way this was distracting from Mr. Trump's historic campaign for president and Melania's beautiful message and presentation."

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