For those who missed it here's the story......... ( meet me at the bottom)
CLEVELAND — The Republican Party woke up to a cascade of finger-pointing and confusion on Tuesday as the Trump campaign was rocked by accusations that parts of Melania Trump’s convention speech had been cribbed from the one that Michelle Obama delivered to Democrats in 2008.The possibility that Ms. Trump’s remarks had been plagiarized cast a cloud over the second day of the Republican National Convention and laid bare lingering tensions within the party surrounding the nomination of Donald J. Trump, whose campaign continues to be plagued by stumbles and infighting despite several reboots.The disarray was evident as Mr. Trump’s campaign and senior Republicans offered conflicting explanations for the similarities in the speeches, with some officials conceding that the passages were lifted and demanding accountability, and others insisting that nothing untoward had occurred.Among Mr. Trump’s aides, there was a palpable sense of frustration that Ms. Trump’s speech, which they considered a highlight of the evening, had become a cause for embarrassment.Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump’s campaign chairman, pushed back aggressively against accusations of plagiarism and even tried to go on the offensive.Describing it as “a great speech,” Mr. Manafort said at a morning convention briefing that “obviously Michelle Obama feels very similar sentiments toward her family.”Speaking on CNN, Mr. Manafort also said that Ms. Trump was aware that “she was speaking in front of 35 million people last night,” adding, “To think that she would be cribbing Michelle Obama’s words is crazy.”Deflecting questions about the passages themselves, Mr. Manafort instead attacked Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, for what he claimed was an effort to draw attention to the matter.“This is once again an example of when a woman threatens Hillary Clinton, she seeks out to demean her and take her down,” Mr. Manafort said. “It’s not going to work against Melania Trump.”A memo sent to Trump campaign staff members instructed them to stick to Mr. Manafort’s response, but surrogates for Mr. Trump mused aloud on Tuesday about what might have happened, raising questions about fissures within his team and allowing the controversy to drag on.Another adviser to Mr. Trump, who has assisted in the drafting of some of his speeches, acknowledged that Ms. Trump used words that were not her own. “I’m sure what happened is the person who was helping write this plucked something in there and probably an unfortunate oversight and certainly Melania didn’t have anything to do with it,” said Sam Clovis, a Trump campaign co-chairman, in an interview on MSNBC.And Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, a staunch ally of Mr. Trump who was recently passed over to be his running mate, played down the situation while noting that parts of the speech were duplicative.Asked on NBC’s “Today” show if the remarks constituted plagiarism, Mr. Christie said, “Nah, not when 93 percent of the speech is completely different than Michelle Obama’s speech.”
Talk of who was to blame for the speech also buzzed among former advisers to Mr. Trump. Corey Lewandowski, the campaign manager who was oustedin favor of Mr. Manafort, said on CNN that Mr. Manafort should take responsibility.“Whoever signed off, the final signoff that allowed this to go forward, should be held accountable,” Mr. Lewandowski said. “I think if it was Paul Manafort, he would do the right thing and resign.”The Trump campaign denied reports that Mr. Manafort’s top deputy, Rick Gates, had played a role in writing the speech. “Rick’s not a speechwriter and he doesn’t have a role in the campaign’s speech-writing process — we have other people for that. Anybody saying differently is being intentionally misleading,” said Jason Miller, the campaign’s senior communications adviser.Two people briefed on the process, who insisted on anonymity to discuss such a sensitive issue, said that a contract speechwriter, Matthew Scully, had written an early draft of Ms. Trump’s speech several weeks ago. Ms. Trump then took that speech and made substantial changes to it, according to this person, with help from someone working at the Trump Organization.Ms. Trump had initially earned praise for her speech on Monday at the opening night of the convention, but her remarks almost immediately came under scrutiny when striking similarities were discovered between her speech and one delivered by Mrs. Obama
The inability to perform simple tasks, like drafting a speech, during a presidential campaign is a red flag for anyone contemplating the contours of a Trump Administration.
The phrases in question came when Ms. Trump — who told NBC News earlier on Monday that she had written her speech herself — was discussing her upbringing in Slovenia and her parents.Here are the relevant passages.Ms. Trump, Monday night:
From a young age, my parents impressed on me the values 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. They taught and showed me values and morals in their daily lives. That is a lesson that I continue to pass along to our son. And we need to pass those lessons on to the many generations to follow.Because we want our children in this nation to know that the only limit to your achievements is the strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.
Mrs. Obama, in her 2008 speech:
“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 withdignity 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.”
Ms. Trump:
“I was born in Slovenia, a small, beautiful and then-Communist country in Central Europe. My sister, Ines, who is an incredible woman and a friend, and I were raised by my wonderful parents. My elegant and hard-working mother, Amalija, introduced me to fashion and beauty. My father, Viktor, instilled in me a passion for business and travel.Their integrity, compassion and intelligence reflects to this day on me and for my love of family and America.”
Mrs. Obama, in 2008:
“And I come here as a daughter — raised on the South Side of Chicago by a father who was a blue-collar city worker and a mother who stayed at home with my brother and me. My mother’s love has always been a sustaining force for our family, and one of my greatest joys is seeing herintegrity, her compassion and her intelligence reflected in my own daughters.”
Jarrett Hill, a Twitter user whose biography describes him as an interior designer and journalist, apparently first noticed the resemblance between Ms. Trump’s speech and Mrs. Obama’s in 2008.But Ms. Trump said in an interview taped with Matt Lauer of NBC before her speech that she went over it just once in advance. “I wrote it with as little help as possible,” she said.Mr. Trump’s aides have thus far declined to identify who, if anyone, on the campaign helped in writing the speech. Mr. Trump’s main speechwriter is Stephen Miller, and the convention program and speakers have been managed by Mr. Manafort.In a statement released hours after the speech, Jason Miller, the campaign adviser, was vague about how it was crafted.“In writing her beautiful speech, Melania’s team of writers took notes on her life’s inspirations, and in some instances included fragments that reflected her own thinking,” he said. “Melania’s immigrant experience and love for America shone through in her speech, which made it a success.”Mr. Trump has not addressed the issue publicly, except for a Twitter message he posted as the controversy broke out: “It was truly an honor to introduce my wife, Melania. Her speech and demeanor were absolutely incredible. Very proud!”Sarah Hurwitz, a White House speechwriter who composed Mrs. Obama’s 2008 address, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment, but Democrats were watching the fallout carefully.Advisers to Hillary Clinton said they quickly decided on Monday night to take a restrained approach to the controversy over Ms. Trump’s speech. The Clinton campaign often challenges the integrity and judgment of the Trump campaign, but doing so over the speech would create an opening for Trump advisers to suggest that Mrs. Clinton was somehow to blame for the furor.
Jason Miller, the Trump campaign’s senior communications adviser said: “In writing her beautiful speech, Melania’s team of writers took notes on her life’s inspirations, and in some instances included fragments that reflected her own thinking.”
By MAGGIE HABERMAN, ALAN RAPPEPORT, PATRICK HEALY and JONATHAN MARTINJULY 19, 2016 New York Times......
THIS could be our First Lady>>>>>>
Yikes how embarrassing. Its like a 3 ring circus at the Trump campain.. I cant believe what I'm seeing. Im waiting for Ashton kutcher to pop out saying " YOU GOT PUNKED AMERICA!!"....
She was quoted as saying "I wrote it with very little help" lol yeah she helped herself alright.. She helped herself to Michelle Obamas speech..... Its just sad... Maybe someone set her up.... Maybe they hired a speech writer who decided to play a cruel joke on her.... I mean how could she have knowingly done such a thing? What do you guys think?