Staffer Says She Plagiarized Melania Trump Speech

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A staff writer for the Trump organization on Wednesday said that she is to blame, not Melania Trump, for plagiarizing portions of Mrs. Trump's Republican convention speech.

In a statement, Meredith McIver, said she made a "mistake" by lifting passages of Trump's address from the 2008 convention speech by Michelle Obama.

"In working with Melania Trump on her recent First Lady speech, we discussed many people who inspired her and messages she wanted to share with the American people," McIver said.

McIver said Mrs. Trump had identified that "a person she has always liked is Michelle Obama."

Statement On Melania Trump Speech by John Dodge on Scribd

"Over the phone, she read me some passages from Mrs. Obama's speech as examples. I wrote them down and later included some of the phrasing in the draft that ultimately became the final speech," she wrote.

"I did not check Mrs. Obama's speeches. This was my mistake, and I feel terrible for the chaos I have caused Melania and the Trumps, as well as to Mrs. Obama. No harm was meant."

McIver, who the New York Times reports is a former ballet dancer who has ghost written four books by Mr. Trump, said she offered her resignation.

It was rejected.

"Mr. Trump told me that people make innocent mistakes and that we learn and grow from these experiences," she wrote. "I apologize for the confusion and hysteria my mistake has caused."

The Times reported that two veteran Republican speech writers provided the Trump campaign a draft of Mrs. Trump's speech. According to the Times, only the speech introduction and portion that included the phrase "a national campaign like no other," remained.

On Twitter, Trump brushed aside the story.