Conversations with a Whistleblower
In an Unprecedented guest post, writer and psychologist Alan Blotcky talks to MELANIA & ME author Stephanie Winston Wolkoff
A key whistleblower in Trump world speaks out
Whistleblowing is a uniquely American tradition. It is a powerful tool for rooting out wrongdoing in public and private arenas. Famous whistleblowers have included Mark Felt as Deep Throat during Richard Nixon’s Watergate, Daniel Ellsberg for the Pentagon Papers during the unpopular Vietnam War, Linda Tripp during the Bill Clinton sex scandal, and others.
Little did Stephanie Winston Wolkoff know that when she agreed to serve her country and the First Lady, she would find herself at the center of a complex web of corruption. She left behind a career in the fashion and entertainment industry and embarked on public service that proved to be shocking and treacherous.
Stephanie was hired by Thomas J. Barrack, Chairman of the 58th Presidential Inauguration Committee (PIC), to be his senior advisor and then executive producer. Mr. Barrack was recently arrested for acting as an agent of the United Arab Emirates and for making false statements to the FBI. His arrest is a major turning point in the unraveling of Trump world.
Stephanie was witness to the Trump team’s corruption, abuse of power, and disregard for the truth. As she said in a lengthy interview, “I would not be bought or silenced. I hired a legal team long before I was thrown under the bus by the Trumps and their inner circle.” Stephanie raised red flags and risked her career and life for the ultimate act of exposing presidential-level corruption. The Trump team wanted her to be gone, since she was a threat to anyone who had compromised the truth. As she asserts, “They wanted to discredit me and make me the fall guy for the PIC’s illicit activities. It worked, until now.”
Defamatory statements from the White House and the PIC were unleashed on Stephanie. She was discredited by the New York Times. The Trump clan went on the attack and made a concerted effort to cast Stephanie as the woman who swindled $26 million for her services. According to Stephanie, “Donald and Melania knew that I was not guilty of what I was accused of, namely of overspending and skimming off the PIC’s $107 million.” As Stephanie has stated, “It was the Trump family business who was profiting from the inauguration.”
Stephanie’s life was turned upside down by Trump’s machinations and propaganda. Melania’s betrayal of her was totally unexpected. But, as Stephanie says, “I came to realize that Melania was Donald’s greatest asset and was not some kind of benevolent counterbalance to her toxic husband.” Stephanie has said that “a Trump is a Trump is a Trump.” She now understands that her friendship with Melania was nothing more than a means to an end for Melania. “Melania is just like Donald. They are both transactional opportunists. I never fathomed that she would have a hidden agenda that involved deceit, manipulation, and exploitation.” Stephanie further says, “Melania purposefully sabotaged and destroyed our relationship, and that is the cold hard truth.”
Stephanie has cooperated with law enforcement authorities, including the Southern District of New York (SDNY), the Intelligence Committee, and the US Attorney General for the District of Columbia. “I have been exposing the truth in many ways, including what I wrote in my 2020 New York Times bestseller, Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady.” She further explains, “I have provided troves of documentation and have shined the light of truth on the sworn false testimonies of Ivanka, Don Jr., Rick Gates, and others. I have ignited a flame around Allen Weisselberg, CFO of the Trump Organization, because of his nefarious involvement in the PIC’s finances.”
First Scapegoated… Then Vindicated.
On January 20, 2020, the Attorney General for the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit against the PIC, the Trump Organization, and the Trump International Hotel. The charge was misuse of funds that directly benefitted the Trumps. “The very things I was made the cover girl for,” she says.
In October, 2020, the Department of Justice, acting like Trump’s fixer on behalf of the First Lady, took the unprecedented step of filing a lawsuit against Stephanie over the baseless non-disclosure agreement and her tell-all book. But total vindication came on February 8, 2021, when the Department of Justice dismissed their case against her.
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff continues her mission of making the public aware of the ugly truth of Donald and Melania Trump. As she says, “Silence is not the answer. Pursuing the truth is the only way to expose and remedy the Trump perniciousness on our country.”
Stephanie’s whistleblowing is setting the example for others to come forward with compelling, first-hand information. Who will have the honesty and strength to be next?
It is not too late to hold the Trumps accountable for their corruption.
Alan D. Blotcky is a freelance writer and clinical psychologist in Birmingham, Alabama.
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