Page 26 - Bon dia 3 Sept 2020

A26 u.s. news
Diahuebs 3 september 2020

Mrs. Trump's ex-adviser says she taped calls for protection

WASHINGTON (AP) — wished she had never met
A former friend and adviser the first lady, who is a former
of Melania Trump said Tues- fashion model. Wolkoff, a
day that she made recordings New York-based event plan-
of her conversations with the ner, said the pair first met in
first lady because she needed 2003 in the hallways of Vogue
evidence to protect herself magazine, where Wolkoff
amid questions about the worked.
costs of President Donald Wolkoff devotes two of the
Trump's inauguration. book's 11 chapters to plan-
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, ning for the January 2017
whose book "Melania and inauguration, describing the
Me: The Rise and Fall of committee responsible for
My Friendship with the First raising money to pay for sev-
Lady," was released this week, eral days of events as beset
helped produce Trump's in- with organizational and com-
auguration and later worked munications issues that com-
for the first lady as an unpaid plicated her work.
White House adviser. She says she repeatedly raised
Wolkoff left the White House questions about spending
in February 2018 when her but she eventually came to
contract was terminated. be viewed as the problem.
The White House blasted the Trump's Presidential Inaugu-
book as "full of mistruths and ral Committee raised nearly
paranoia." $107 million for the lavish
Separately, Wolkoff told The President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump stand on stage on the South Lawn of the event, an unprecedented in-
Washington Post that Mrs. White House on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, augural price tag nearly twice
Trump used private email in Washington. that of President Barack
accounts while at the White Associated Press Obama's inauguration in
House. Others in the White 2009.
House, including Trump's "And they're right. If she was torneys claimed there was no their self-described best Some of those involved in
daughter Ivanka and her hus- my friend, it would be hor- other choice but to turn her friend is, by definition, dis- or aware of the committee's
band, Jared Kushner, have rible. But Melania and the back on her friend because honest," Grisham said. work told The Associated
been criticized for doing of- White House had accused there was a possible probe of "The book is not only full Press in September 2017 that
ficial business on private ac- me of criminal activity and the presidential inauguration of mistruths and paranoia, it the orchestration of the inau-
counts – but, unlike them, publicly shamed and fired committee. Wolkoff said she is based on some imagined guration was marred by last-
the first lady is not a govern- me and made me their scape- taped the first lady because "I need for revenge. minute decisions, staffing
ment employee. goat," Wolkoff said. "At that was going to do anything in Wolkoff builds herself up turnover and little financial
In an interview on MSNBC's moment in time, that's when my power to make sure that I while belittling and blaming oversight.
"The Rachel Maddow Show," I pressed record. She was no was protected." everyone she worked with, Wolkoff told ABC News in
Wolkoff said, "I've been ac- longer my friend and she was Stephanie Grisham, chief of yet she still managed to be the an interview broadcast Mon-
cused of taping my friend, as willing to let them take me staff and spokesperson for victim. Sadly, this is a deeply day that she continues to co-
the White House said, and down." Melania Trump, said Wolkoff insecure woman who's need operate with multiple crimi-
how horrible of a human be- Wolkoff said Melania Trump was out for revenge. to be relevant defies logic." nal investigations into the
ing I am for doing that." told her that White House at- "Anybody who secretly tapes In the book, Wolkoff says she committee's operations.q

U.S. further restricts Chinese diplomats travel, meetings

officials had been required transparency on the practic- while, has accused Biden, of
only to notify the State De- es of the PRC government. being soft on China.
partment of plans for such Should the PRC eliminate Despite Trump's previous af-
meetings. the restrictions imposed on finity for Chinese President
Pompeo also said that Chi- U.S. diplomats, we stand Xi Jinping, his administration
nese diplomats will have now ready to reciprocate." has since last year consistent-
to get permission to host cul- The moves come as the ad- ly ratcheted up restrictions
tural events of more than 50 ministration ramps up ac- and sanctions on Chinese of-
people outside of their diplo- tions against Chinese offi- ficials, government agencies
matic missions. In addition, cials in a widening effort to and companies, beginning
he said the State Department counter what it says is unfair with travel limits imposed on
would act to ensure that the treatment of American dip- diplomats and registration re-
social media accounts of Chi- lomats in China. And they quirements for Chinese me-
nese officials be identified as come as relations between dia outlets. The number of
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a news conference belonging to the People's Re- the two countries continue to visas for Chinese journalists
at the State Department in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 2, public of China and the Chi- plummet amid a numerous was also cut.
2020. nese Communist Party. disputes over trade, Taiwan, In June, the U.S. ordered
Associated Press "The United States insists Tibet, human rights, Hong China to close its consulate
on reciprocal access to edu- Kong and the coronavirus in Houston, Texas, which
By MATTHEW LEE AP United States. cational and cultural insti- pandemic. drew a reciprocal response
Diplomatic Writer Secretary of State Mike Pom- tutions for U.S. diplomats The United States has had from Beijing that forced the
WASHINGTON (AP) — peo announced that senior around the world," Pompeo the most deaths in the world closure of the U.S. consul-
The Trump administration U.S.-based Chinese diplo- said. and Trump's Democratic ri- ate in Chengdu. Last month,
on Wednesday stepped up its mats will now be required to "These new requirements on val, Joe Biden, has blamed the administration demanded
battle with China by further get permission to visit Amer- PRC diplomats are a direct Trump for the rapid spread that Chinese-funded lan-
restricting the ability of Chi- ican universities or meet with response to the excessive re- of the virus in the United guage and culture programs
nese diplomats to travel, hold local government officials. straints already placed on our States, which surged after in the U.S. register as for-
meetings with academics and Previously, under rules an- diplomats by the PRC, and Trump pushed for a lifting of eign missions of the Chinese
host cultural events in the nounced last fall, Chinese they aim to provide further restrictions. Trump, mean- Communist Party.q