According to recent reporting from Fox News, former First Lady Melania Trump has offered up a new excuse as to why she did nothing to speak out or try to bring an end to the violence on January 6th, as a mob of her husband’s rabid supporters stormed and seized the US Capitol building with Congress inside.
The publication reports:
Former first lady Melania Trump said Thursday that she was ‘fulfilling’ her official duties as first lady of the United States of America on Jan. 6, 2021, telling Fox News Digital exclusively that had she been fully informed of the events taking place at the Capitol during the day, she ‘would have immediately denounced the violence.'”
A president’s spouse is not beholden to any duties or actions by the United States Constitution.
“As with all First Ladies who preceded me, it was my obligation to record the contents of the White House’s historic rooms, including taking archival photographs of all the renovations. Several months in advance, I organized a qualified team of photographers, archivists, and designers to work with me in the White House to ensure perfect execution,” Melania Trump reportedly claimed. “As required, we scheduled January 6, 2021, to complete the work on behalf of our Nation.”
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The first presidential spouse to reside in the White House was Abigail Adams, the wife of President John Adams. However, it wasn’t until 45 years later that the first photo of the White House came to be, leaving the first 10 presidential administrations without photo records.
In recent weeks, Melania’s former chief of staff Stephanie Grisham has spoken out and revealed that she personally asked the then-First Lady if she wanted to speak out on the violence as it was taking place. According to a screenshot posted to Twitter by Grisham, Melania simply responded, “No.”
— Stephanie Grisham (@OMGrisham) June 28, 2022
Grisham quit her position in the Trump White House shortly thereafter, telling CNN’s John Berman and Brianna Keila last month:
For me, it was really important because, you know, over the years working with Melania Trump, I was able to go to her, you know, she was the first person in our entire administration who condemned Charlottesville and often I would be able to go to her and say ‘this is bad’ and she would even pick up the phone and call her husband and talk him down from something or she would put out a statement well ahead of the West Wing to set a tone saying this is not okay.
That day, when I sent her that text, you know, the text, I wanted her to say wasn’t even political, it was just saying everybody has the right to peaceful protest but there is no room for violence, and she just said no. It just made me think she knew something. It made me think she knew that perhaps her husband was going to be down there. She knew something ahead of time.
I don’t know this for a fact but, again, knowing her as well as I did at that point it was so unlike her to not have condemned it that that was the moment it all kind of broke me, that’s what I wrote in the book, and I resigned immediately afterward.”
Featured image via Wikimedia Commons/The White House
