The Justice Department Is Suing Stephanie Winston Wolkoff Over Her Tell-All Book About Melania Trump
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit on Tuesday alleging that Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former adviser to First Lady Melania Trump, violated a nondisclosure agreement with the publication of her recent tell-all book Melania and Me, which shares her experiences of working in the East Wing of the White House during the Trump administration.
The lawsuit (which can be read in full here) accuses Wolkoff of "breach of contract" and "breach of fiduciary obligations" and demands that profits relating to the publication of the book be returned to the U.S. government. "
"The United States seeks to hold Ms. Wolkoff to her contractual and fiduciary obligations and to ensure that she is not unjustly enriched by her breach of the duties she freely assumed when she served as an advisor to the First Lady. Ms. Wolkoff’s service facilitated her access to significant confidential information related to the First Lady’s official duties as well as to the more private aspects of her role in the First Family, along with indirect access to deliberative information, to which the First Lady was privy, related to the President’s official duties on behalf of the country. The United States accordingly seeks an order establishing a constructive trust on any profits obtained by Defendant from the disclosure of information in, or dissemination of, Melania and Me."
A lawyer for Wolkoff called the suit "entirely meritless" in a statement to the New York Times. Wolkoff has also responded to the lawsuit with a personal statement, arguing that the government is trying to infringe upon her First Amendment rights. It reads:
"The President and First Lady's use of the Department of Justice to silence me is a violation of my First Amendment Rights and a blatant abuse of the government to pursue their own personal interests and goals. I fulfilled all of the terms of the Gratuitous Service Agreement and the confidentiality provisions ended when the White House terminated the agreement. With the publication of my book, "Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with The First Lady," I have exercised my right to free expression. I will not be deterred by these bullying tactics."
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