Cohen also wrote a revealing book, but Wolkoff’s book Melania & Me may have become more of a puzzle for the White House, as the author posts tapes of conversations with the first lady she says. having done in self-defense.
Wolkoff left the White House amid fundraising investigations for the inauguration. In February 2018, The New York Times reported that out of $ 107 million raised, a company started by Wolkoff had received nearly $ 26 million. Wolkoff would have cashed $ 500,000. The Times also reported that a government watchdog accused the inaugural committee of “budget mismanagement at its worst.”
Wolkoff, who denies wrongdoing, says Melania Trump has refused to defend her.
Speaking to Cohen, Wolkoff said she “must have let a reporter listen to the tapes because [the White House] made people not believe what i said… once i’ve been separated and charged with criminal activity. ”
“The White House created a narrative,” she added, “because I didn’t follow the one they wanted. That account, she said, was that the Trumps were unaware of the inauguration fundraising and the alleged irregularities.
“Nothing has happened without Donald’s approval,” Wolkoff told Cohen. “Nothing happened without Melania knowing it.”
In the middle of the hour-long interview, Wolkoff released a tape clip in which the first lady complained about a 2018 Vogue photoshoot.
“Go to Google and read it,” the first lady said. “Annie Leibovitz shot the porn prostitute, and she will be [in] one of the issues, September or October. ”
” What do you mean? Wolkoff asks.
«Stormy», dit Trump.
Donald Trump denies an affair with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. But Cohen orchestrated a silent payment in the case, an act that contributed to his three-year prison sentence stemming from the work of special advocate Robert Mueller.
“Shut up,” Wolkoff replies on the tape. ” Why? ”
“It happened yesterday,” says Melania Trump. “For Vogue. It will be in Vogue. Annie Leibovitz shot him.
Leibovitz photographed Daniels and his then lawyer Michael Avenatti for an August 2018 story titled Stormy Daniels Isn’t Backing Down.
In his book, Wolkoff recounts meeting then-Melania Knauss at the Vogue New York office in 2003.Speaking to Cohen, she said: “I opened the door for her while I was working at Vogue, and I think I was more drawn to Melania and Donald than me. Because what were they doing for me? It wasn’t like I needed them. I actually saw Melania as this pretty, sweet, dynamic young model.
Cohen also asked Wolkoff how the first lady reacted to reports about her husband’s affairs, such as with Daniels, which the model says happened shortly after the birth of Melania’s son Barron.
“She told me,” Wolkoff said, “that Donald had to be ready for his whole life to be open to the media, to the world if he won. [the presidency]. And then I was like, ‘And you too.’ ”
Last week, the Trumps both announced they had contracted the coronavirus. That same evening, Wolkoff provided CNN with a recording of the first lady complaining about having to oversee the White House decorations (“Who cares about Christmas stuff?) And of being criticized for the politics of her husband to separate migrant families (“Give me a fucking break”).
