SALT LAKE CITY — A Trump aide who offered to resign over the plagiarism in Melania Trump’s speech at the Republican National Convention is a graduate of the University of Utah, school officials confirmed Wednesday.
Annalisa Purser, a communication specialist at the U of U, confirmed Wednesday that Meredith McIver graduated from the institution in 1976 with a degree in English.
McIver came forward Wednesday as the person responsible for plagiarism in Melania Trump’s speech, and she issued a statement of apology for including passages from a speech given by Michelle Obama in 2008.
“Over the phone, she read me some passages from Mrs. Obama’s speech as examples,” McIver’s statement reads in part. “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.”
McIver has been working with the Trumps for some time, and she is listed as a co-author on at least five books by Donald Trump available on Amazon, including “Trump: The Art of the Deal” and “Trump: How to Get Rich”.
McIver stated she offered her resignation to Donald Trump and his family, but her resignation was rejected.
“Mr. Trump told me that people make innocent mistakes and that we learn and grow from these experiences,” McIver stated.
The full statement from McIver is below:
