She allegedly copied Michelle Obama's convention speech in 2016, and now it seems she's copying Hillary Clinton's IT configuration.
A former White House employee has blown the whistle on First Lady Melania Trump, claiming she used a private email server for official government business—the very thing Hillary Clinton was castigated for by Republicans throughout the 2016 campaign and for which President Trump has continued to attack her while in office.
Former advisor Stephanie Winston Wolkoff revealed the tidbit in an interview with The Washington Post while promoting her new memoir about her time with the First Lady.
Trump has continued to attack Hillary Clinton for her own use of a private email server while in office. https://t.co/Kz551dXdCc
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) September 2, 2020
Neither she nor the First Lady used official White House email accounts, according to Wolkoff.
The email details do not appear in Wolkoff's book, Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship With the First Lady. But plenty of revelations apparently do appear--the White House has denigrated the book as "revisionist history."
In her book, Wolkoff details her 15-year friendship with the First Lady, which soured when investigations into Trump's inauguration began. Wolkoff even began recording phone conversations with the First Lady when the investigations intensified.
Speaking with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, Wolkoff put it bluntly:
"Melania and the White House had accused me of criminal activity, had publicly shamed and fired me, and made me their scapegoat. At that moment in time, that's when I pressed record."
In light of Wolkoff's allegations, The Post looked into the First Lady's emails and found scores of sensitive business, including government contracts, financial figures and, perhaps most sensitive of all, information about the President's schedules during state visits.
Given the fiery condemnation the President and his supporters regularly lob to this day at Hillary Clinton—who was cleared of any wrongdoing in multiple investigations—the First Lady's email system may seem hypocritical.
Tell her not to worry: our media doesn't care about emails unless it's Hillary. Ivanka and Jared have been caught doing the same--silence. Last I heard, Trump's personal smartphone is unsecured. Media: uninterested.
BUT OMG HILLARY AND EMAILS? UNFIT TO LEAD! LOCK HER UP.
— JKDAnthony10 (@JKDAnthony10) September 2, 2020
So does Ivanka, Jared, Trump makes official calls on an insecure cell phone. If I recall correctly, there are more WH staff doing the same thing
— darla1249 (@Tootshilda) September 2, 2020
pic.twitter.com/Fr0VUyxkpY
— We The People (@StacyResists) September 2, 2020
By Andrew Peek, Trump's National Security Council guy who was frog marched out of White House for losing his classified cellphone to a honey trap. There's no end to the hypocrisy of these clowns. pic.twitter.com/ibfM935q1v
— BevMarie (@evenbev) September 2, 2020
Anytime trump accuses someone. It just means he has, or will, do the exact same thing. Ivanka used one too.
— CraigSSherman (@CraigSSherman1) September 2, 2020
Many others felt the media should make as big a deal of this email scandal as they did Clinton's.
With the help of a national press who harped and obsessed over Hillary's every move. We now have reporting that Ivanka used private emails. Jared uses encrypted apps to communicate with foreign leaders and now Melania. This should be wall-to-wall coverage if 2016 is the standard
— CountryOverConman (@TrumpNewsPolls) September 2, 2020
I like the way you word it to distance the press from the email debacle.
When you cover this like you covered that, get back to me. Of course I know the press won't do that because Trump's phone & Ivanka & Jared's email stories were dropped after 1 news cycle.
— Lucille (@Delilah399) September 2, 2020
But but... isn't that a crime that requires tons of media coverage, and should get her thrown in prison, and multiple FBI investigations?
— Sassy Michigan Teacher (@sassyMIteacher) September 2, 2020
So I'm guessing this will be front page news for the next two months like it was for Hillary?
— Chris Horton (@hortonla) September 2, 2020
And some felt that the story would, like all stories against the Trumps tend to do, ultimately lead nowhere.
Prediction:
“The RADICAL Dems are trying to make a Big Deal about some harmless emails - because that's all they've got!"
- Trump, Twitter, tomorrow.
— Barney Panofsky's Best Intentions (@mynamesnotgordy) September 2, 2020
Is anyone gonna do anything about it? They're above the law, with full & total support of the entire Republican Party. They could have hangings nightly on the White House lawn with full support of the Republican Party, & our Dems wouldn't do more than tweet or email me for money.
— John Dennis (@jon9max) September 2, 2020
Because they are the trumps. Rules only apply when Conald calls foul.
— Someone somewhere (@adayisdawning) September 2, 2020
Melania Trump is far from the only Trump Administration official who has flouted White House email security protocols.
Ivanka Trump used her personal email account for official business—as has Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross—and Jared Kushner conducted state business over WhatsApp.
@therealjeffreyross/Instagram
@therealjeffreyross/Instagram
@therealjeffreyross/Instagram
@therealjeffreyross/Instagram
@therealjeffreyross/Instagram
@therealjeffreyross/Instagram
@therealjeffreyross/Instagram
@therealjeffreyross/Instagram
@therealjeffreyross/Instagram
@therealjeffreyross/Instagram
@therealjeffreyross/Instagram
@mikeredmond/Bluesky
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social