Former First Lady Melania Trump was allegedly “wary” of some of her husband’s allies, according to a newly-released transcript.
While testifying before the January 6 committee in May, Melania Trump’s former chief of staff, Stephanie Grisham, shared the details of her feelings about allies of former President Donald Trump.
“She didn’t trust Mark Meadows, was what [Melania Trump] told me,” Grisham said.
Grisham explained, “She was wary of Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, a lot of the people who were coming up into the residence and talking to the president. And then I think she was like constantly wondering, and I know she got on the phone with [Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel] a few times to ask where really are we with polling, because I don’t think she fully trusted the campaign necessarily.”
Commenting on the work environment between the East and West Wing, Grisham told the committee, “We did our own thing. Mrs. Trump was well aware of the things that Mark Meadows was doing. She didn’t trust anybody at that point either.”
She added, “So Mrs. Trump just wanted to do her own thing and ignore the West Wing and work on her own initiatives.”
When asked what Melania Trump’s frustration with Meadows was based on, Grisham said, “She felt that [Meadows] was letting a lot of people who were maybe being harmful to the President, giving him bad advice. He was clearing them into the residence or getting them into the Oval [Office].”
She continued, “Mrs. Trump never liked it when people would tell Trump what he wanted to hear rather than the truth or reality of the situation, and she felt that Meadows was always just playing into his hand.”
In July, Melania Trump rejected a claim made by Grisham that the former first lady refused to condemn the violence that took place on January 6.
“I was fulfilling one of my duties as First Lady of the United States of America, and accordingly, I was unaware of what was simultaneously transpiring at the U.S. Capitol Building,” Melania Trump said during an interview with Fox News.
The former first lady declared she “always” condemns violence.
On Wednesday, the January 6 committee withdrew the subpoena it issued to Donald Trump, as The New York Times reported.
The committee reportedly acknowledged they did not have enough time to obtain his documents or testimony.
