Former US first lady Melania Trump declined to condemn the violence when a mob of pro-Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol building, her former chief of staff claimed.
After shocking evidence of then-US President Donald Trump’s anger emerged during hearings by the House of Representatives committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack, a bombshell text exchange with Ms. Trump was revealed on Wednesday.
In it, Stephanie Grisham — who has worked for Mrs. Trump in the White House since 2017 — asked her boss if she wanted to send a “peaceful protests” tweet to Americans.
She got a blunt and emphatic ‘no’.
“Would you like to tweet that peaceful protests are the right of every American, but there is no place for lawlessness and violence?” Mrs. Grisham’s text read.
“No,” replied a person identified as “MT.”
Tweet from @OMGrisham
Ms. Grisham confirmed to the Washington Examiner that the exchange was with Ms. Trump.
“I resigned immediately after her response,” she said.
She also recalled the messages in her book published last October, I’ll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw in The Trump White House.
Grisham said the election wasn’t stolen, she urged the first lady to denounce the storming of the Capitol, and Melania objected because she was more concerned with setting up a photo shoot for a carpet,” Guardian writes in a review. States.
“That, Grisham writes, was when she decided enough was finally enough.”
Melania Trump and her son Barron exit Trump Tower in Manhattan on July 7, 2021. Photo: Getty
Trump’s Violent Fury
The exchange resurfaced Wednesday after former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson told the January 6 committee that an angry Trump tried to grab the wheel of a Secret Service limousine when told he was not with supporters. Who would make their way to the United States Capitol?
Hutchinson recounted Mr. Trump’s actions after he finished a speech outside the White House, where he urged supporters to march to the Capitol. She said he wanted to join protesters in the government seat, where lawmakers gathered to confirm Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory.
“I’m the effing president, take me to the Capitol now,” Ms. Hutchinson quoted Mr. Trump as telling Secret Service agents.
When told they would not be going to the Capitol, an agent had to physically stop Mr. Trump, who used his free hand to lunge at the neck of Secret Service agent Robert Engel, Ms. Hutchinson testified.
She also said Mr. Trump dismissed concerns that some supporters who gathered outside the White House for his fiery speech that day were carrying AR-15-style rifles. Instead, Ms. Hutchinson said, the then-president said security shouldn’t screen attendees with metal-detecting magnetometers — so the resulting crowd seemed bigger.
“Take away the expired magazines; they’re not here to hurt me,” Ms. Hutchinson was quoted as saying by Mr. Trump.
In a social media post, Mr. Trump denounced Ms. Hutchison’s evidence as a “fake story”.
‘Stand up for the truth.’
But Ms. Grisham praised Ms. Hutchinson’s testimony, saying the former aide “chose to stand up for the truth” despite possible threats from “MAGA extremists”.
During Mrs. Grisham’s four years in the White House, she worked closely with Mrs. Trump. However, relations between the two women have deteriorated significantly since her departure.
Earlier, Ms. Grisham said the spotlight on Ms. Trump was “ruthless” during her husband’s presidency. She said, “the first lady was unofficially called Rapunzel” by Secret Service agents because of her reluctance to leave her personal quarters.
“Unlike Michelle Obama and Laura Bush, Melania rarely ventured near her East Wing office,” she said.
At the time, a spokesperson for Ms. Trump shot back: “The intent behind this book is clear. It is an attempt to redeem itself after a poor performance as a press secretary, failed personal relationships, and unprofessional behavior at the White House.
“Through falsehood and betrayal, she is trying to gain relevance and money at the expense of Mrs. Trump.”
There are also other reports of Ms. Trump’s response to the violence in Washington.
On January 8, 2021, Glamor magazine reported that the Slovenian-born former model had “checked out” and was clearly looking for a distraction: he chose to do a photo shoot for carpets in the east wing and executive residence.
“She was not ‘mentally or emotionally in one place’ to address the country about the riots, according to another source who spoke to CNN. Simply put, this source says Melania Trump has been ‘checked out,’” it wrote.
Ms. Trump finally released a statement about the “tragic events” at the Capitol on January 11.
Vanity Fair said it proved the outgoing first lady was “even less worried about the Capitol attack than we previously thought” and more about herself when she finally made a statement just days after the riots.
“I find it embarrassing that around these tragic events, there has been much-publicized gossip, unwarranted personal attacks, and false, misleading accusations directed at me – from people who want to be relevant and have an agenda,” said.
