>>> ONE OF THE INDELIBLE IMAGES
>>> ONE OF THE INDELIBLE IMAGES
WE HAVE OF MELANIA TRUMP’S TIME
AS FIRST LADY WHEN THE DAY SHE
BOARDED A PLANE TO GO VISIT
IMMIGRANT KIDS WHO HAD BEEN
SEPARATED FROM THEIR KIDS AT THE
TEXAS BORDER AND WORE THIS GREEN
JACKET THAT SAID ON THE BACK, "I
REALLY DON’T CARE, DO YOU?"
AFTER THAT VISIT, STEPHANIE
WINSTON WOLKOFF IN HER NEW BOOK
RECALLS WHAT SHE SAYS WAS A
70-MINUTE PHONE CALL SHE SAYS
SHE HAS WITH THE FIRST LADY
ABOUT THAT TRIP TO THE BORDER,
AND I JUST WANT TO READ YOU FROM
THAT PART OF THE BOOK.
MS. WINSTON WOLKOFF SAYS,
QUOTING THE FIRST LADY HERE,
THEY ALL WENT CRAZY ABOUT THE
ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY AT THE
BORDER BUT THEY DON’T KNOW
WHAT’S GOING ON.
THE KIDS I MET WERE BROUGHT IN
BY THE COYOTES, THE BAD PEOPLE
THAT WERE TRAFFICKING AND THAT’S
WHY THE KIDS ARE IN THE
SHELTERS.
THEY’RE NOT WITH THEIR PARENTS
AND IT’S SAD.
BUT THE PATROLS TOLD ME THE KIDS
SAID, WOW, I GET A BED.
IT’S MORE THEY HAVE IN THEIR OWN
COUNTRY WHERE THEY SLEEP ON THE
FLOOR.
THEY ARE TAKEN CARE NICELY
THERE.
AND THE MOTHERS, THEY TEACH
THEIR KIDS TO SAY I AM GOING TO
BE KILLED BY GANGS SO THEY’RE
ALLOWED TO STAY.
THEY’RE USING THAT LINE AND IT’S
NOT TRUE.
READING THAT QUOTE FROM THE
FIRST LADY ALOUD IS A GUT PUNCH
ALL OF ITS OWN, BUT STEPHANIE
WINSTON WOLKOFF QUOTES THIS
DIRECTLY AND SAYS THESE ARE THE
WORDS OF THE FIRST LADY.
BACK WITH US ONCE MORE FOR THE
INTERVIEW IS STEPHANIE WOLKOFF.
SHE’S A FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO
FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP.
HER NEW BOOK IS CALLED "MELANIA
AND ME."
IT’S ABOUT HER FRIENDSHIP WITH
THE FIRST LADY AND HER
INVOLVEMENT IN THE TRUMP
INAUGURATION.
MS. WINSTON WOLKOFF, THANKS
AGAIN FOR BEING HERE.
I JUST HAVE TO ASK YOU IF --
SHOULD WE UNDERSTAND THIS TO BE
A VERBATIM QUOTE FROM THE FIRST
LADY?
THESE ARE SEEMINGLY PRETTY
INSENSITIVE COMMENTS ABOUT THE
KIDS SHE MET AT THE BORDER.
>> RACHEL, THERE’S NO WAY TO
FABRICATE ANY OF MY STORY.
AND THE ONLY WAY TO TELL THE
STORY IS TO SAY IT EXACTLY AS IT
WAS.
THE FACT THAT THE WHITE HOUSE IS
TRYING TO DISPARAGE ME AND CLAIM
MY CHARACTER IS ANYTHING BUT
WHAT I KNOW -- AGAIN, A
RESPECTFUL PERSON.
IT’S ONLY GOING TO HAVE ME
DISCUSS MORE AND MORE THE TRUTH,
THE FACTS, AND THEY’RE ALL
EITHER IN SOME TYPE OF, YOU
KNOW, SEMBLANCE THAT HAS 100%
BACKING.
I WOULD NEVER DO THAT OTHERWISE.
>> THERE’S BEEN SOME REPORTING
-- PUBLIC SOURCED REPORTING
AROUND YOUR BOOK THAT SAYS THAT
PART OF THE WAY THAT YOU CAN
BACK UP SOME OF THESE VERBATIM
QUOTES AND SOME OF THESE
EXTENSIVE DETAILED ANECDOTES IS
YOU DO HAVE SOME RECORDINGS OF
SOME OF THESE CONVERSATIONS.
CAN YOU COMMENT ON THAT AT ALL?
>> SO, RACHEL, I -- I HAVEN’T
COMMENTED ON THE PAST.
AND ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I’M
GOING TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU
THIS EVENING IS BECAUSE I’VE
BEEN ACCUSED OF TAPING MY
FRIEND, AS THE WHITE HOUSE SAID,
AND HOW HORRIBLE OF A HUMAN
BEING I AM FOR DOING THAT.
AND THEY’RE RIGHT.
IF I -- IF SHE WAS MY FRIEND, I
WOULD BE HORRIBLE, BUT MELANIA
AND THE WHITE HOUSE HAVE ACCUSED
ME OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITY.
HAD PUBLICLY SHAMED AND FIRED ME
AND MADE ME THEIR SCAPEGOAT.
AT THAT MOMENT IN TIME, THAT’S
WHEN I PRESSED RECORD.
SHE WAS NO LONGER MY FRIEND.
AND SHE WAS WILLING TO LET THEM
TAKE ME DOWN AND SHE TOLD ME
HERSELF THAT IS -- THIS IS THE
WAY IT HAS TO BE.
SHE WAS ADD VIED BY THE
ATTORNEYS AT THE WHITE HOUSE
THAT THERE WAS NO OTHER CHOICE
BECAUSE THERE WAS A POSSIBLE
INVESTIGATION INTO THE
PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION
COMMITTEE.
AND THAT’S NOT HOW YOU TREAT A
FRIEND.
SO I WAS GOING TO DO ANYTHING IN
MY POWER TO MAKE SURE THAT I WAS
PROTECTED.
AND AT FIRST I REALLY DID THINK
MAYBE SHE WOULD COME TO MY AID.
MAYBE SHE WOULD TELL THE TRUTH.
SHE TURNED HER BACK.
SHE DID.
SHE FOLDED LIKE A DECK OF CARDS
AND I WAS SHOCKED WHEN SHE DID
IT.
>> ARE YOU SAYING, MS. WOLKOFF,
THAT
>> ARE YOU SAYING AT THAT POINT
YOU DECIDED IN ORDER TO PROTECT
YOURSELF THAT YOU -- THAT YOU
WOULD MAKE RECORDINGS OF SOME OF
YOUR CONVERSATIONS WITH THE
FIRST LADY OR THAT YOU DID?
>> I DID, RACHEL.
I DID.
AND, AGAIN, IT’S DISGRACEFUL IN
ANY OTHER CONTEXT, BUT WHO WOULD
BELIEVE ANY OF THIS OTHERWISE?
YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS UP.
BUT, AGAIN, I NEEDED THE
EVIDENCE.
I NEEDED THE EVIDENCE.
>> IF THE WHITE HOUSE CONTINUES
TO CALL YOU A LIAR AND SAY THAT
YOU HAVE MADE UP THESE
CONVERSATIONS, AND THAT THESE
THINGS YOU ARE ATTRIBUTING TO
THE FIRST LADY OR THE PRESIDENT
ARE THINGS THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN,
DO YOU HAVE PLANS TO RELEASE
THOSE TAPES TO THE PUBLIC OR TO
SHOW THEM -- PLAY THEM FOR
REPORTERS SO THAT OTHER PEOPLE
CAN VALIDATE WHAT YOU’RE SAYING?
>> UMM, THERE IS A REPORT COMING
OUT.
AGAIN, FULL DISCLOSURE, I’M NOT
GOING TO LIE ABOUT IT, I’M GOING
TO TELL YOU, I HAVE -- I HAVE
ADMITTED THERE IS A REPORT
COMING OUT THAT I DID PLAY IT
PRIVATELY, BECAUSE OF -- TO
JUSTIFY I DID HAVE IT AND WHAT
IT DID SAY IN HER OWN VOICE.
AGAIN, THE MORE THEY CONTINUE TO
COME AFTER ME, AND, AGAIN, THE
MORE THEY CONTINUE TO LIE ABOUT WHAT THEY’VE SAID, DONE AND DO,
WHAT THEY’VE SAID, DONE AND DO,
THE MORE I WILL CONTINUE TO
PROVE THEIR CLAIMS FALSE.
THE LAST THING THEY SHOULD BE
DOING IS COMING AFTER ME.
I WANTED TO WRITE THIS BOOK AND
COME ON.
OF COURSE THEY’RE GOING TO -- I
EXPECTED THEM TO SAY SHE IS THIS
AND THAT.
BUT THEY HAVE GONE ON WAY TOO
LONG AND I’M NOT GOING TO LET
THEM TAKE MY INTEGRITY AWAY
ANYMORE.
>> STEPHANIE WINSTON, FORMER
SENIOR ADVISER TO MELANIA TRUMP,
KEY FIGURE IN THE TRUMP
INAUGURAL.
I KNOW THIS IS HARD STUFF TO
TALK ABOUT, AND I KNOW THIS BOOK
WAS HARD TO WRITE, I KNOW
BECAUSE I READ EVERY WORD OF IT.
