PAYBACK TIME

Ex-Melania Aide Hits Out: ‘I Was Thrown Under the Bus’

First lady’s close friend disputes claims she was fired.

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former adviser to first lady Melania Trump who was also involved in the planning of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, has lashed out at the White House and publicly disputed claims that she was fired when she left her role last year. Wolkoff strongly objected to suggestions from White House officials that she was forced to leave because she made money from Trump’s inaugural events. “Was I fired? No,” Wolkoff told The New York Times. “Did I personally receive $26 million or $1.6 million? No. Was I thrown under the bus? Yes.” Wolkoff, a former top aide to Vogue Editor Anna Wintour, was one of Melania’s earliest advisers and a longtime friend. In February 2018, a financial disclosure from the inaugural committee showed her company, WIS Media Partners, was paid roughly $26 million, then a further $1.62 million, which was spread among contractors. Her lawyer says she has been cooperating with federal prosecutors in Manhattan investigating the committee’s spending.

MUELLER FRIDAYS

GOP Lobbyist Sent Illegal Money to Trump Inaugural Committee

Lachlan Markay