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Trump staffer responsible for Melania speech is a Democrat

The woman who has taken responsibility for the Melania Trump plagiarism scandal at the Republican National Convention is a registered Democrat, according to an online database.

The woman who has taken responsibility for the Melania Trump plagiarism scandal at the Republican National Convention is a registered Democrat, according to an online database.

TEGNA investigative reporter Brendan Keefe has learned Meredith McIver is shown as a registered Democrat in Lexis/Nexis, a database of information regularly used by journalists, lawyers and government officials. McIver is an in-house staff writer for the Trump Organization who also has ghostwritten multiple books written by Donald Trump. She has been a registered Democrat since 1996, according to the database.

The Trump campaign has acknowledged that parts of Melania Trump’s Republican National Convention speech on Monday were the same as first lady Michelle Obama's 2008 Democratic convention speech.

In a statement released by the Trump campaign, McIver said it “was my mistake.

"I feel terrible for the chaos," she said in the statement.

Meredith McIver, who has taken responsibility for the Melania Trump plagiarism scandal at the Republican National Convention, is a registered Democrat, according to Nexis, an online database. This is one of the three records found for her.
Meredith McIver, who has taken responsibility for the Melania Trump plagiarism scandal at the Republican National Convention, is a registered Democrat, according to Nexis, an online database. This is one of the three records found for her.
Meredith McIver, who has taken responsibility for the Melania Trump plagiarism scandal at the Republican National Convention, is a registered Democrat, according to Nexis, an online database. This is one of the three records found for her.

The full statement from McIver is below:"TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:"My name is Meredith McIver and I’m an in-house staff writer at the Trump Organization. I am also a longtime friend and admirer of the Trump family."In working with Melania Trump on her recent First Lady speech, we discussed many people who inspired her and messages she wanted to share with the American people. A person she has always liked is Michelle Obama. Over the phone, she read me some passages from Mrs. Obama’s speech as examples. I wrote them down and later included some of the phrasing in the draft that ultimately became the final speech. I did not check Mrs. Obama’s speeches. This was my mistake, and I feel terrible for the chaos I have caused Melania and the Trumps, as well as to Mrs. Obama. No harm was meant."Yesterday, I offered my resignation to Mr. Trump and the Trump family, but they rejected it. Mr. Trump told me that people make innocent mistakes and that we learn and grow from these experiences."I asked to put out this statement because I did not like seeing the way this was distracting from Mr. Trump’s historic campaign for president and Melania’s beautiful message and presentation."I apologize for the confusion and hysteria my mistake has caused. Today, more than ever, I am honored to work for such a great family. I personally admire the way Mr. Trump has handled this situation and I am grateful for his understanding."Sincerely,"Meredith McIver"

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