I'm running out of words to express the extent of my flabbergastiness. The unbroken run of Trumpian train wrecks goes on for yet another day. I've lost count, but I think that makes a full two weeks where not a single day has gone by without some breaking news that makes Trump look even more horrible than he already did (as if such a thing were even possible at this point!) The bombshell du jour: Melania Trump (almost certainly) worked in the U.S. illegally. As the (third!) wife of a presidential candidate whose platform is built largely on vilifying (and promising to expel!) illegal immigrants, this is a big deal.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention: the Trump Taj Mahal casino is folding.
Yawn.
ReplyDelete1. No one cares about the wife of a candidate, or what she did 20 years ago.
2. The Politico article you reference is 95% speculation, demagoguery, and conspiracy theory. Only at the end do we see a statement from her agent, Paolo Zampolli:
Zampolli said he first met Trump in Milan and that models he worked for moved across international borders legally. “Every model we represented, we did a visa,” he said. “It’s just part of the rules.”
3. Further information was published by ABC news, again from her agent, Zampolli:
On Thursday, Zampolli said he personally secured a work visa for Mrs. Trump, who in the mid-1990s was named Melania Knauss, while he was a partner at modeling agency Metropolitan Models.
"She qualified. We got her the H-1B as soon as she came," Zampolli said, referring to the type of work visa that U.S. companies can obtain for "fashion models of distinguished merit and ability." H-1B visas generally allow a person to work and live in the U.S. for three years with the opportunity to renew them for another three years.
Zampolli said he based the H-1B application on Trump's previous modeling work in Paris and Milan. "We used whatever she did before to get her a visa," he said. "She had enough tear sheets to qualify."
You need to stop with the politics of personal destruction. It doesn't work against Trump. It bounces off him and sticks to you.
> No one cares about the wife of a candidate
ReplyDeleteNormally I would agree with you. But in this case it matters because it is entirely fair to ask: if Melania did work here illegally, and hence obtained her citizenship fraudulently, would Trump have her deported along with all the other illegals he want to ship back to where they came from?
> speculation, demagoguery, and conspiracy theory
Just following Trump's lead here. If he can demand to see Obama's birth certificate, then we can demand to see Melania's visa. (And question its authenticity if she does manage to produce it.)
He who lives by the conspiracy theory deserves to die by the conspiracy theory.
There Are No Coincidences
ReplyDelete>But in this case it matters because it is entirely fair to ask: if Melania did work here illegally, and hence obtained her citizenship fraudulently, would Trump have her deported along with all the other illegals he want to ship back to where they came from?
People aren't afraid of illegal immigrents who do this, it's the one's that do this.
Yep, we should expect a lot of voter outrage over beautiful women who illegally enter the United States to be photographed in little or no clothing.
>He who lives by the conspiracy theory deserves to die by the conspiracy theory.
Hillary Clinton has her own conspiracy theories.
Although some of the conspiracy theories about her turn out to be true.
OMG, Publius, you are *so* missing the point.
ReplyDelete> People aren't afraid of illegal immigrents who do this, it's the one's that do this.
Yes. Obviously. But Trump (and Republicans in general) don't draw that distinction. Quite the contrary: they've vilified Obama for trying to draw that distinction with the DREAM act.
I think the DREAM act could be passed, if - and only if - illegal immigration from Mexico was seriously addressed and controlled. That is, first shut off the flow of illegal immigrants. Next, deal with the illegal immigrants present in the country.
ReplyDeleteThe Democrats, though, show no interest, inclination, or seriousness in controlling illegal immigration. They are not trusted, therefore, no deal happens.
A deal could be struck similar to the Cornyn-Kyl bill (S. 1438) of 2005 -- but only if it is enforced.
I think it has more to do with the fact that the Republicans are pathologically obsessed with opposing Obama no matter what he proposes:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2012/03/The-Conspiracy-to-Commit-Legislative-Constipation