Republican National Committee chairman: I’d probably fire Melania Trump’s speechwriter
TOP Republicans, including Donald Trump’s ex campaign manager, say heads should roll over Melania’s apparently plagiarised convention speech.
REPUBLICAN National Committee chairman Reince Priebus said he’d “probably” fire any speechwriter behind Melania Trump’s convention address — which drew accusations that she plagiarised Michelle Obama.
Priebus’ near-admission of a campaign gaffe came an hour after Donald Trump’s campaign chairman went on national TV to vigorously deny that Melania cribbed from the sitting first lady, The New York Post reports.
Priebus told reporters at a Bloomberg Politics event in Cleveland that he would “probably” sack Melania’s speechwriter if it were up to him.
“I don’t blame her (Melania Trump),” Priebus said. “Some of these things are pretty common types of themes.”
CNN reported the Trump campaign has no plans to fire — or take disciplinary action against — anyone for the bungled speech.
Trump’s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said staff responsible for crafting the speech should be held accountable.
“If the staff did not do their job properly, and didn’t vet the speech properly based on the larger picture and narrative that she put together, then there should be accountability. No question,” he said, according to the Chicago Tribune. “I know about accountability in this election.”
Lewandowski was fired in June following months of controversy and is now a CNN contributor.
Corey Lewandowski says staffer who wrote Melania Trump's speech should be fired https://t.co/WHBvrMVJvM https://t.co/OiHQ5qdyiN
— CNN (@CNN) July 19, 2016
But Trump’s campaign manager Paul Manafort said it’s “absurd” to believe Melania’s address to the Republican convention on Monday night was at all lifted from the first lady’s 2008 speech at the Democratic convention.
“To think that she (Melania) would do something like that knowing how scrutinised her speech was going to be last night is just really absurd,” Manafort told CNN.
He insisted the words used by both wives are so “common” that any similarities are purely coincidental.
“There’s no cribbing of Michelle Obama’s speech. These were common words and values. She cares about her family,” Manafort said. “To think that she’d be cribbing Michelle Obama’s words is crazy.”
Hours after the GOP candidate’s wife delivered what was initially hailed as a warm, personal speech, clips of it popped up online — side by side with the current first lady’s address to Democrats — creating an instant “Speechgate” controversy.
These were the words most in dispute, first from the sitting first lady:
“And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: That you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say you’re going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don’t know them, and even if you don’t agree with them.
“And Barack and I set out to build lives guided by these values, and pass them on to the next generation. Because we want our children — and all children in this nation — to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.”
And here are Melania Trump’s words fromMonday night:
“My parents impressed on me the value of that you work hard for what you want in life. That your word is your bond and you do what you say and keep your promise. That you treat people with respect. Show the values and morals in the daily life. That is the lesson that we continue to pass on to our son.
“We need to pass those lessons on to the many generations to follow. Because we want our children in these nations to know that the only limit to your achievement is the strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.”
Trump’s wife told NBC on Monday that the speech was nearly all her own words.
“I wrote it — with as little help as possible,” she said.
Manafort went as far as blaming presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for the plagiarism allegations.
“I mean, this is, once again, an example of when a woman threatens Hillary Clinton, how she seeks out to demean her and take her down,” Manafort said. “It’s not going to work.”
But Republican Congressman Sean Duffy, who also spoke at the convention on Monday night, said the similarities between the two speeches are too great to ignore. He urged Trump aides to own up to the blunder and move on.
“There are a few phrases we’re talking about, so it’s not really that big a deal,” Duffy said.
Trump praised his wife on Twitter, writing: “It was truly an honor to introduce my wife, Melania. Her speech and demeanor were absolutely incredible. Very proud!”
It was truly an honor to introduce my wife, Melania. Her speech and demeanor were absolutely incredible. Very proud! #GOPConvention
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 19, 2016
The Melania Trump speech was edited and finally approved by top Manafort deputy Rick Gates, campaign sources told The Guardian newspaper. Gates, however, is denying he oversaw the Melania speech process.
Priebus predicted this controversy will fizzle by lunchtime.
“The distraction gets you off message a little bit this morning,” he said. “But I think we’ll get back to action this afternoon.”
This story originally appeared in The New York Post.
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