Reince Priebus Says He’d Probably Fire Melania Trump’s Speechwriter

Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, bangs the gavel as resolutions are adopted during the opening day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Monday, July 18, 2016. (AP Photo/J.... Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, bangs the gavel as resolutions are adopted during the opening day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Monday, July 18, 2016. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) MORE LESS
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Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus doesn’t fault Melania Trump for delivering a convention speech that appears to be blatantly plagiarized, but he said Tuesday he would consider firing her speechwriter.

“I don’t blame her,” Priebus said at a Bloomberg Politics breakfast. “Some of these things are pretty common themes.”

The chair said if it was his call, he would “probably” axe the staffer responsible for the speech.

Priebus also predicted “the distraction” over the plagiarism would peter out as the convention picks back up Tuesday afternoon and praised Trump’s speech as “very inspirational” and a “great immigrant story.”

The speech was a rare move from the presumptive nominee’s wife, who has shied away from the spotlight and rarely appeared on the campaign trail.

While the speech was initially praised by conservatives, confirmation quickly surfaced that parts of Trump’s text was word-for-word the same as First LAdy Michelle Obama’s convention address in 2008. The Trump camp has denied any “cribbing” of Obama’s speech.

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  1. Avatar for lew lew says:

    As Melanoma said on Today that she wrote the speech herself, does she get demoted from first lady to third wife if Trump wins?

  2. Melania told Matt Lauer that she wrote it herself

  3. Hence the aphorism, ‘Always the speech-writer never the bride…’

  4. Melania said she was the author, not a speechwriter. Is Reince making the case for Trump wife #4? Sad!

  5. Typical of the bootleg nature of his candidacy.

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