Still harping on accusations of plagiarism against Melania Trump during an interview with Donald Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort on Thursday’s NBC Today, co-host Matt Lauer demanded an apology from the GOP operative for suggesting Hillary Clinton’s campaign was fueling the story: “You even went as far as to blame Hillary Clinton. We now know in the last 24 days [hours] it was a mistake on the part of a speech writer....So when you said, ‘When Hillary Clinton is threatened by a female, the first thing she does is try to destroy that person,’ would you offer Secretary Clinton an apology for blaming her?”
Manafort replied: “When I spoke to Melania Trump, she said, and she believes and still does, that she did not put those words in there. She did not know that they were words from Michelle Obama...” Lauer began to follow up: “Do you owe Hillary – ” Fellow co-host Savannah Guthrie interrupted with her own attack:
Sorry, but that statement says the exact opposite....Trump told The New York Times he knew two days ago that in fact Melania had sent the speech. I – the question is really not about whether she did or she didn't, it's really a matter of candor and whether you knew that those words came from Michelle Obama's speech.
While the liberal media have been obsessed with attacking Melania Trump over the plagiarism claims, the same networks went easy on Barack Obama being caught plagiarizing a speech during his 2008 presidential run.
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Here is a transcript of the contentious July 21 exchange:
7:11 AM ET
(...)
MATT LAUER: Let me just go back to something we talked to you about Monday morning – or Tuesday, morning excuse me – the morning after Melania Trump's speech, where it was widely believed she had plagiarized portions of that speech. You came on to other shows and this show, you said, “No there was no plagiarizing. There was no cribbing.” You even went as far as to blame Hillary Clinton. We now know in the last 24 days [hours] it was a mistake on the part of a speech writer. That person has taken the blame for it. So when you said, “When Hillary Clinton is threatened by a female, the first thing she does is try to destroy that person,” would you offer Secretary Clinton an apology for blaming her?
PAUL MANAFORT: Look, first of all, you have to put the situation in context. It wasn't a speech writer, this was somebody who was not part of the campaign.
LAUER: Part of the Trump organization.
MANAFORT: And I didn't even know she was involved in the process. When I spoke to Melania Trump, she said, and she believes and still does, that she did not put those words in there. She did not know that they were words from Michelle Obama, specific words.
LAUER: Do you owe Hillary – go ahead.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Sorry, but that statement says the exact opposite.
MANAFORT: No, the statement says –
GUTHRIE: And Trump told The New York Times he knew two days ago that in fact Melania had sent the speech. I – the question is really not about whether she did or she didn't, it's really a matter of candor and whether you knew that those words came from Michelle Obama's speech.
MANAFORT: And I did not know. I was told by Mrs. Trump and I believe Mrs. Trump and I don’t think – Mrs. Trump still believes she personally put those words in that speech. And as far as Mrs. MacIntyre’s concern, we didn't even know – I didn't even know of her existence. I asked the speech writers if they had done it, they said no. I asked Mrs. Trump, she said no. And as far as I was concerned, there was no one else in the process, and so, therefore, that was my position.
(...)
