Melania Trump accuses campaign team of 'betrayal' over Michelle Obama speech plagiarism controversy

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: Melania Trump held the Trump campaign responsible for the plagiarism scandal that embarrassed her after she repeated a speech given by Michelle Obama.

The former first lady addressed the controversy in her new memoir, 'Melania', released on October 8, singling out a particular staff for plagiarising Obama's speech for her 2016 Republican National Convention speech, as per The Independent.

Melania confessed she felt "a profound sense of betrayal" as the speech had "undeniable similarities" to Obama's Democratic National Convention address in 2008. She also blamed the campaign team for "fail[ing] to implement even the most fundamental safeguard."

Melania Trump admits she overly 'relied' on others in crafting controversial speech

Melania Trump revealed that the Trump campaign brought in Meredith McIver, "a long-time family friend" and writer for the Trump Organization, to assist her with the RNC address. Michelle Obama's speech caught her eye due to its "emphasis on the fundamental values of hard work, integrity, and kindness" that reflected the principles her parents inculcated during her days in Slovenia.

"In my discussions with Meredith, I conveyed the significance of parents imparting these values to their children. While I relied on Meredith to help me with the speech and the campaign to review it, I was pleased with the final result," Melania wrote.

Some phrases in Melania's speech were identical to Obama's.

For instance, the real estate mogul's wife said, "Because we want our children in this nation to know that the only limit to your achievements is the strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them."

Obama's speech went, "And Barack and I set out to build lives guided by these values and to pass them on to the next generation, because we want our children — and all children in this nation — to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work hard for them."

Melania Trump considers plagiarism scandal as the team's 'failure' despite speechwriter's apology

Melania Trump said she realized the similarities while returning home after the convention. Though she initially refused to believe it, she found the "undeniable similarities" that angered her.

"Looking back, I realized that I had relied too much on others in this crucial endeavor," the former model-turned-author wrote.

In her much-anticipated memoir, the former FLOTUS disclosed being frustrated and asking her husband, Donald Trump, why it was not vetted. However, the disappointed future president failed to give her an answer.

Following the controversy, McIver apologized in a statement released under the letterhead of the Trump Organization.

According to McIver, she included phrases from Obama's speeches after Melania read some passages on the phone. She also accepted the entire blame and stated she felt "terrible" for causing the chaos to the then and future first ladies.

Nevertheless, Melania penned in the memoir that the "damage was done" and blamed McIver and the Trump campaign for the "failure." According to her, the lack of thorough review was a negative reputation for her work, and the team's failure filled her with a "profound sense of betrayal."

She further blamed the RNC and the campaign for leaving her on her own despite the team members being professionals.

"This negligence left me feeling completely abandoned, I felt a deep sense of outrage and disappointment," Melania added.

McIver is the co-author of the books 'Trump 101', 'Trump Thinks Like A Billionaire' and 'Trump Never Give Up'.