Inauguration Contractor And Ex-Aide To First Lady Says Was ‘Thrown Under The Bus’

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 10: Stephanie Winston Wolkoff attends The United Nations Women for Peace Association's Annual Awards Luncheon on March 10, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Presley Ann/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a contractor for President Donald Trump’s inauguration and former aide to first lady Melania Trump, says she was not dismissed from her role but “thrown under the bus” last year.

She disputed to the New York Times that she had been forced out over excessive profits from her role in the inauguration and said she is working with federal prosecutors who are investigating the spending and fundraising of the inaugural committee.

Melania Trump’s spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, was curt in response to Wolkoff’s complaints.

“The White House ended Mrs. Wolkoff’s contract, period,” she told the Times. “I’m not going to waste my time arguing the semantics of what the word ‘severed’ means simply because someone decided to run to the media with hurt feelings and a bruised ego. As stated more than a year ago, I wish Mrs. Wolkoff well.”

Latest News
61
Show Comments

Notable Replies

  1. “I’m not going to waste my time arguing the semantics of what the word ‘severed’ means simply because someone decided to run to the media with hurt feelings and a bruised ego."

    
    
    Nice words to utter and have ringing in the ears of an aggrieved antagonist as they sit for interviews with investigators and prosecutors. Well played, Melania, well played.
  2. "As stated more than a year ago, I wish Mrs. Wolkoff well.”

    You too take care.

  3. Sounds like ol’ Stephanie has been attending the Ma Hamhocks School of “How to win friends and influence people.”

    Oh, yeah, and it sounds like tempers are short and panic is rising as more and more of the abused underlings are beginning to be brave enough to start spilling the beans.

    I like it.

  4. …and a bunch of evidence regarding corruption in the inaugural process. It’ll be quite interesting to see what she carried out with her, and how closely they tie into the shameful first family.

  5. Every report I’ve read says Wolkoff’s company was a $26,000,000 expense in the inaugural budget. Yet the numbers we see bandied about of late reference much smaller figures as to her fees, costs and compensation. It’s a cinch Trump skimmed milions upon millions off the top of the funds raised for the inaugural. Every single veteran of previous inaugurals is at a total loss to explain how you burn through $108 million staging an inaugural. Because you don’t. Trump, or people close to him, stole a great deal of it. Book it.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

55 more replies

Participants

Avatar for valgalky23 Avatar for dr_coyote Avatar for bluestatedon Avatar for dweb Avatar for trnc Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for squirreltown Avatar for progress Avatar for lastroth Avatar for nymund Avatar for mrf Avatar for thomasmatthew Avatar for benthere Avatar for lizzymom Avatar for noonm Avatar for khyber900 Avatar for dannydorko Avatar for evave2 Avatar for kenga Avatar for progressiveandsane Avatar for rascal_crone Avatar for filmknight Avatar for rucleare Avatar for rogerhead

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: