Dems Set to Jet to Luxury Hotel While Government Stays Shut

Luis Cornelio
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Dems Set to Jet to Luxury Hotel While Government Stays Shut

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The government shutdown won’t stop Democrats from jetting to a luxury Napa Valley retreat after the weekend, where they will fundraise for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee ahead of the midterm elections. 

Led by DSCC chair Sen. Kristin Gillibrand, D-N.Y., the group of lawmakers is expected to enjoy a “vineyard estate-inspired retreat” at the four-star Hotel Yountville. 

Rooms at the resort can cost as much as $1,100 a night, with amenities including an outdoor pool with “lush greenery” and spa features like hydrotherapy. 

The getaway, previously reported by Headline USA, comes as 600,000 federal workers remain furloughed while top Democrats push to extend Obama-care subsidies in exchange for their vote to reopen the government. 

At the same time, servicemen faced the prospect of going without pay until President Donald Trump vowed to ensure they continue to receive paychecks. 

According to an itinerary reviewed by Headline USA, Democrats are expected to arrive on Oct. 13 and depart the following day. 

They will take a wine tour and dine at Staglin Family Vineyards, where access is limited to members paying an annual fee of $2,000 to $4,000. 

The following day, they will enjoy breakfast and a political briefing back at Hotel Yountville.

Invited lawmakers include Rep. Haley Stevens, running for Michigan’s open House seat in 2026, and Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly, Adam Schiff and Lisa Blunt Rochester. 

April Minisohn, the DSCC’s West Coast finance director coordinating the retreat, did not answer Headline USA’s call Sunday afternoon. A request for on-the-record comments was left via voicemail. 

Emails Reveal Journalists Acting as Foreign Agents

Headline USA Editor
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Emails Reveal Journalists Acting as Foreign Agents

(José Niño, Headline USA)  Leaked emails reveal prominent journalists David Frum and Douglas Murray drafted speeches for Israeli UN Ambassador Ron Prosor during the devastating 2014 Gaza war, raising serious questions about journalistic integrity and undisclosed conflicts of interest.

According to a report by Drop Site News, David Frum, senior editor at The Atlantic and former George W. Bush speechwriter, began his editorial role at the magazine in March 2014. Just four months later, as Israeli forces launched Operation Protective Edge against Gaza’s Palestinian population, Frum was secretly helping Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor craft speeches for international audiences.

The leaked correspondence shows that on July 31, 2014, at the height of the Israeli military offensive that would ultimately kill over 2,200 Palestinians including 551 children, Frum sent Prosor a draft speech. 

Drop Site News noted that In his message entitled “an earlier draft of that speech I sent you,” Frum wrote, “This version was drafted by Seth Mandel of Commentary, with whom I’ve been working. The top half is identical to what you read previously. The bottom half is much less pointed about US policy. Is this more in line with your thinking?”

The proposed speech contained dramatic language comparing Israel’s military campaign against Gaza’s captive population to “the most tenacious challenge to the free world in decades,” while invoking “the free world’s defeat of the Nazi war machine.”

Just one day before providing speechwriting services, Frum had contacted Prosor from a different email address in his capacity as a journalist, asking to “interview you for short profile in Atlantic about what it’s like to be Israeli ambassador at UN?” This dual role materialized in September 2014 when The Atlantic published Frum’s profile of Prosor, praising the diplomat’s “toughness” and effective advocacy during the war.

As Drop Site News reported, Douglas Murray, associate editor at The Spectator magazine, simultaneously offered his own speechwriting services to Prosor. In a July 31, 2014 message simply titled “Draft,” Murray wrote, “Dear Ron, Very good to speak earlier. I am pasting in here my first draft ideas. It’s probably slightly long. And it’s possible I have put in some more diplomatic things than needed… But I think I have got in all the points discussed.”

Murray’s proposed speech included phrases like “We Israelis have learnt to live with the realities around us. We know who we are” and criticism of “outrageous and racist efforts to boycott Israeli products.” He concluded by offering continued assistance, writing “I will give all the time I can to helping to get it right.”

The British journalist went beyond speechwriting. In November 2014, Murray informed Prosor that he had successfully raised over one million pounds for The Association for the Wellbeing of Israeli Soldiers, an organization created to provide funds “directly to [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers and IDF units.” Murray expressed his enthusiasm, telling Prosor that “the soldiers were superb” and offering to “always call if I can ever do anything to help.”

The leaked emails also reveal CNN producer Pamela Gross actively soliciting guidance from Prosor on how to privately fundraise for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. On July 10, 2014, Gross wrote to Prosor, “Dear Ambassador – It was so wonderful to see you this 4th of July. Thank you for joining us. Clearly Iron Dome is doing the trick and saving lives. Please dear friend – let’s get it finished. Please let me know what is still left to be done at your soonest convenience.”

Prosor responded warmly, thanking Gross and her husband Jimmy Finkelstein, owner of The Hill publication, for a “magical evening” and calling them “true assets to the state of Israel and the Jewish people.”

Gross, who was then a producer for “CNN Tonight with Don Lemon,” followed up asking for specific fundraising guidance, writing “I have not begun any fundraising on the Iron Dome yet but am anxious to move forward. I need to gather information and so hoped you could help me.” She requested information on funding needs and asked to be connected with appropriate Israeli officials to facilitate her fundraising efforts.

Neither Frum, Murray, nor their respective publications responded to requests for comment about these undisclosed relationships with Israeli officials during their professional coverage of Middle East affairs.

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino 

Mamdani Took the Same Illegal Donations Biden Used to Target Mayor Adams

Luis Cornelio
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Mamdani Took the Same Illegal Donations Biden Used to Target Mayor Adams

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The New York City mayoral campaign of Zohran Mamdani collected thousands of dollars in potentially illegal foreign donations, the same type of contributions that led the Biden-era DOJ to indict Mayor Eric Adams. 

Mamdani is running for NYC mayor against Republican Curtis Sliwa and third-party candidate Andrew Cuomo. Meanwhile, Adams had initially opted to run independently but has since suspended his campaign. 

Campaign disclosure records show Mamdani accepted $13,000 in foreign donations, including one from his mother-in-law in Dubai. At least 170 of his 54,000 donors listed addresses outside the U.S., the New York Post reported Sunday.

This could be a problem for Mamdani, as foreign nationals are prohibited by law from donating to political campaigns. Permanent residents, also known as green card holders, are exempt from these restrictions.  

Campaigns are expected to return illegal donations, and individuals or entities that accept them can face fines and jail time. 

As reported by the Post, Mamdani’s campaign has not returned 88 foreign donations, totaling $7,190, while only $5,608 has been refunded. 

Other contributors include Ada Diaz Ahmed, a Dubai-based investor, and James Furlaud, an environmental scientist from Australia, each donating $2,100.  

Mamdani’s mother-in-law, Bariah Dardari, a health care official in Dubai, gave $500, which the campaign has since returned. 

Headline USA emailed Mamdani’s campaign finance department, asking whether he personally knew any donors. The message went unanswered, with an automatic reply saying the inbox is not “monitored.”

In an earlier statement, his campaign said they “will of course return any donations that are not in compliance with CFB law.” 

The disclosure comes as Sliwa raised alarms about “dark money” supporting Mamdani’s campaign. 

“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, so I would be very concerned,” Sliwa said. “There is probably a lot more in terms of foreign money.” 

This scandal is reminiscent of how Adams’ political career unraveled after the DOJ accused him in 2024 of taking illegal campaign contributions from the Turkish government. 

At the time, Damian Williams, the Biden-appointed U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, claimed this was part of a broader scheme to enrich Adams and boost his campaign funds. 

Adams repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, calling the charges politically motivated, allegedly in response to his vocal criticism of Biden-era border policies. The charges were ultimately dismissed after President Donald Trump took office in 2025. 

$1 Million Bond Set for Democrat Legislator Accused of Molesting a 15-Year-Old

Headline USA Editor
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$1 Million Bond Set for Democrat Legislator Accused of Molesting a 15-Year-Old

(Headline USA) A North Carolina state legislator accused this week of sex-related crimes involving a 15-year-old appeared in court remotely from a hospital bed while still in custody Friday, and a judge set his bond at just over $1 million.

Democratic state Rep. Cecil Brockman of High Point, who was arrested Wednesday, had his scheduled Thursday court appearance canceled, as a message in the state’s electronic court records system said he was in the hospital. No specific reason has been given for his hospitalization.

Brockman is charged with two counts each of statutory sexual offense with a child and taking indecent liberties with a child. Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, the state Democratic Party and top state House leaders from both parties have called on him to resign from the seat that he’s held since 2015.

District Court Judge Gordon Miller set Brockman’s secured bond for release at $1.05 million, and the representative was told not to have contact with his alleged victim, according to court records and news reports. Brockman’s next court date is Nov. 13.

Brockman asked multiple times to make a statement at Friday’s hearing, but the judge advised him to speak with his lawyer first, news reports said. He ultimately did not make a statement following a recess.

An attorney representing Brockman on Friday didn’t immediately respond to a phone message left at his office. Brockman’s assistant at the General Assembly said Friday that Brockman still had no comment.

A Guilford County magistrate’s order says Brockman is accused of committing the crimes against the 15-year-old on or around Aug. 15. A document signed Wednesday by the magistrate said Brockman had tried to contact the victim and attempted “to use his status” to gain information about the teenager’s whereabouts.

Guilford County District Attorney Avery Crump alleged in court on Friday that Brockman had attempted to track the 15-year-old recently through an app and also through calling 911, according to news reports. Brockman met the teenager in May through an online app, the district attorney said.

The minimum prison sentence for someone convicted of the statutory sexual offense count is at least 12 years, according to state sentencing directives. Taking indecent liberties with a child can be punishable by active prison time, probation, or both.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

 

Report: Van Jones Recruited for Israeli Propaganda Campaign

Jose Nino
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Report: Van Jones Recruited for Israeli Propaganda Campaign

(José Niño, Headline USA) A journalism fellowship founded explicitly to help Israel win an “information war” has recruited prominent mainstream journalists as mentors, including CNN’s Van Jones and two New York Times reporters, according to a report by Drop Site News. 

The Jacki and Jeff Karsh Journalism Fellowship emerged from founder Jacki Karsh’s mission to “shift some of the narrative” in Israel’s favor following October 7, 2023. The six-time Emmy-nominated Los Angeles journalist told a December 2024 interview that “October 7th happened and everything changed for me because I knew this was going to be a war of information the second it happened.”

The program describes itself as “the world’s only journalism fellowship solely dedicated to Jewish topics” and claims to be “resolutely nonpartisan.”  Fellows participate in three retreats across Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and New York, attending sessions on topics including “Middle East Misinformation” and “How to Cover Antisemitism.” Each of the 10 selected journalists receives a $4,000 stipend, per a report by Jewish Insider. 

Karsh’s inspiration came from a social media post by Aviva Klompas, former head of speechwriting at the Israeli mission to the UN, calling for fighting “on the battlegrounds of academia, law, business, media, and every other damn front we can think of.” Karsh responded directly saying “So this is my front. Journalism is my front. And I am doing what I can.”

The fellowship attracted 16 journalists and scholars from major news outlets. CNN’s Van Jones recently faced intense criticism for making light of “dead Gaza baby” images on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, calling them part of an Iran and Qatar disinformation campaign. 

“If you open your phone, and all you see is dead Gaza baby, dead Gaza baby, dead Gaza baby, Diddy,” Jones said, drawing audience laughter. He later apologized, stating “The suffering of the people of Gaza — especially the children — is not a punch line,” per a report by Al Jazeera. 

Two New York Times journalists serve as mentors. Jodi Rudoren, the paper’s former Jerusalem bureau chief who now oversees newsletters including The Morning and DealBook, and Sharon Otterman, who covers education, health, and religion and has reported extensively on Palestine solidarity campus protests.

The Atlantic’s Michael Powell also mentors fellows. His recent articles criticize human rights groups like Amnesty International for being “stridently critical of Israel.”

Karsh has taken hardline positions supporting Israeli military actions. “The Israel story is on the facts side, so you’re already starting from a good place because the truth is at the end of the day—the IDF is the most moral army in the world,” she said in a March interview with StandWithUs Campus. 

She has dismissed Gaza’s casualty figures despite their accuracy being confirmed by the United Nations and Israeli military. “When numbers come from a Ministry of Health run by Hamas, whether that’s done deliberately or not, it influences how people perceive the story—and it can even shape policies,” she told eJewishPhilanthropy.

Karsh has described Hamas as “real life monsters” and compared them to Nazis. She has been particularly critical of campus Palestine solidarity protests, writing that “student journalism at some of the most elite universities had already become a breeding ground for rhetoric that marginalizes Jewish voices and vilifies Israel.”

The New York Times handbook states journalists “should take care to ensure” public engagements do not “create an actual or apparent conflict of interest, or undermine public trust in The Times’s independence.” When questioned about potential conflicts, Times spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander called concerns “ridiculous,” saying participation amounts to “helping to build the reporting skills necessary for the next generation of independent journalists.”

Fellowship director Rob Eshmen defended the program’s neutrality in an email statement, saying it “trains and supports journalists committed to fairness and accuracy on Israel and Jewish issues” and that “the best response to misinformation and disinformation on these issues is excellent journalism grounded in evidence, integrity, and independence.” 

The fellowship launches during Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, including over 20,000 children. UN officials and genocide scholars have characterized Israeli actions as genocide. According to Drop Site News, Karsh “has never publicly expressed any concern or sympathy for the tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians killed by the Israeli military in Gaza.” 

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino 

Will Taxpayers Foot Bill for Letitia James’s Mortgage Fraud Defense?

Luis Cornelio
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Will Taxpayers Foot Bill for Letitia James’s Mortgage Fraud Defense?

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Facing a federal indictment is costly, but New York Attorney General Letitia James won’t have to worry much despite being charged with mortgage fraud. 

James’s pockets won’t take much of a hit since she can tap into two funding sources, including one bankrolled by taxpayers. 

To pay for her defense, James will rely on the Democratic Attorneys General Association, a political committee that campaigns for Democratic attorney general candidates. 

The group could end up paying between $5 to $10 million for James’s defense against the federal charges, former prosecutor Neama Rahmani said in an interview with the New York Post. 

In addition to DAGA’s support, James can also draw from a $10 million slush fund quietly approved by the New York legislature to cover her legal bills tied to DOJ probes. 

James was indicted on Thursday by Acting U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan of the Eastern District of Virginia on one count of bank fraud and one count of making false statements to a financial institution. 

If convicted, she faces up to 30 years in prison per count, a $1 million fine, and forfeiture. 

In a statement, Halligan said that “no one is above the law,” while describing the evidence as “clear.” 

“The charges as alleged in this case represent intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public’s trust,” Halligan said. 

James’s indictment followed a swift investigation referred to the DOJ by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte. 

The DOJ alleges that James falsely claimed an investment property as her secondary residence to secure better loan terms. This move saved her nearly $18,000 in interest, according to Halligan. 

Second homes and rental properties typically carry higher rates. Knowingly lying on a federally backed mortgage application constitutes a federal crime. 

4 Dead, 20 Injured in South Carolina Bar Shooting

Headline USA Editor
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4 Dead, 20 Injured in South Carolina Bar Shooting

(Headline USA) A mass shooting early Sunday at a crowded bar on an idyllic island considered to be the largest Gullah community on the South Carolina coast has left four people dead and at least 20 injured, officials said.

A large crowd was at Willie’s Bar and Grill on St. Helena Island when sheriff’s deputies arrived and found many people with gunshot wounds. An estimated 5,000 or more Gullah people living on the island trace their ancestry back to enslaved West Africans who once worked rice plantations in the area before being freed by the Civil War.

Bar owner Willie Turral was inside the establishment, which was packed for a high school alumni event, when he heard shots going off “in bursts” outside. He described the scene: “Screaming and panic and fear.”

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on the social platform X that many people ran to nearby businesses seeking shelter from the gunfire.

“This is a tragic and difficult incident for everyone,” the statement said. “We ask for your patience as we continue to investigate this incident. Our thoughts are with all of the victims and their loved ones.”

Among the injured, four were in critical condition at hospitals Sunday afternoon. The victims’ identities were not released.

Turral said the bar was hosting an event for alumni of Battery Creek High School in Beaufort, about 10 miles northwest of St. Helena Island. He said people were having a good time when the shots were heard.

“It was scary from the inside,” he said, with “people not knowing what’s really going on outside, people trying to get to safety.”

U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace posted on X that she was “COMPLETELY HEARTBROKEN to learn about the devastating shooting.”

Willie’s Bar and Grill advertises itself as serving authentic Gullah-inspired cuisine and describes itself on its website as “not just a restaurant but a community pillar committed to giving back, especially to our youth.”

Smaller enclaves of Gullah, referred to as Geechee in some areas, are scattered along the Southeast coast from North Carolina to Florida. Scholars say separation from the mainland caused the Gullah to retain much of their African heritage, including a unique dialect and skills such as cast-net fishing and basket weaving.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Luigi Mangione Seeks Dismissal of Charges in Assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO

Headline USA Editor
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Luigi Mangione Seeks Dismissal of Charges in Assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO

(Headline USA) Lawyers for Luigi Mangione asked a New York federal judge Saturday to dismiss some criminal charges, including the only count for which he could face the death penalty, from a federal indictment brought against him in the December assassination of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive.

In papers filed in Manhattan federal court, the lawyers said prosecutors should also be prevented from using at trial his statements to law enforcement officers and his backpack where a gun and ammunition were found.

They said Mangione was not read his rights before he was questioned by law enforcement officers, who arrested him after Brian Thompson was fatally shot as he arrived at a Manhattan hotel for an investor conference.

They added that officers did not obtain a warrant before searching Mangione’s backpack.

Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges in the fatal shooting of Brian Thompson on Dec. 4 as he arrived at a Manhattan hotel for his company’s annual investor conference.

The killing set off a multi-state search after the suspected shooter slipped away from the scene and rode a bike to Central Park, before taking a taxi to a bus depot that offers service to several nearby states.

Five days later, a tip from a McDonald’s about 233 miles away in Altoona, Pennsylvania, led police to arrest Mangione. He has been held without bail since then.

In their submission, defense lawyers provided a minute-by-minute description of how police officers apprehended a cooperative Mangione, including a photograph from a police body-worn camera of the suspect initially sitting alone at a table with a white mask covering nearly all of his face.

They said Mangione was first approached by two “fully armed” police officers when one of them “told Mr. Mangione that someone had called the police because they thought he was suspicious” after he’d been there about 40 minutes.

When the officers asked to see his identification, Mangione turned over a New Jersey driver’s license with someone else’s name, according to the filing.

As Mangione prepared to eat his food, the officers asked him to stand up with his hands atop his head so they could frisk him, the lawyers wrote.

Soon afterward, one of the officers went outside to summon more officers, telling a colleague he was “100 percent” convinced that Mangione was the suspect they were looking for, the lawyers said. Within minutes, nearly a half dozen additional officer arrived.

Last month, lawyers for Mangione asked that his federal charges be dismissed and the death penalty be taken off the table as a result of public comments by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. In April, Bondi directed prosecutors in New York to seek the death penalty, calling the killing of Thompson a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.”

Murder cases are usually tried in state courts, but prosecutors have also charged Mangione under a federal law on murders committed with firearms as part of other “crimes of violence.” It’s the only charge for which Mangione could face the death penalty, since it’s not used in New York state.

The papers filed early Saturday morning argued that this charge should be dismissed because prosecutors have failed to identify the other offenses that would be required to convict him, saying that the alleged other crime — stalking — is not a crime of violence.

The assassination and its aftermath have captured the American imagination, setting off a cascade of resentment and online vitriol toward U.S. health insurers while rattling corporate executives concerned about security.

After the killing, investigators found the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose,” written in permanent marker on ammunition at the scene. The words mimic a phrase used by insurance industry critics.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

 

20 People Shot in Mississippi after High School Football Game

Headline USA Editor
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20 People Shot in Mississippi after High School Football Game

(Headline USA) High school homecoming celebrations in Mississippi ended in gunfire, with two separate shootings on opposite sides of the state Friday night that left at least eight people dead and many more injured, authorities said.

Six were killed in downtown Leland after a high school football homecoming game in the Mississippi Delta region on the state’s western edge, according to the county coroner. On the east side of the state, a pregnant woman was among the dead, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said.

About 20 people hurt in Delta region shooting

In Leland, four people were killed and two died later at a hospital, according to a statement from Washington County Coroner La’Quesha Watkins.

Some 20 people were injured in the gunfire after people gathered in the downtown area following the game, state Sen. Derrick Simmons said. Of those, four were in critical condition and were flown from a hospital in nearby Greenville to a larger medical center in the state capital, Jackson, Simmons told The Associated Press. He was being updated on developments from law enforcement authorities in the Delta.

On Saturday, pieces of tattered, yellow crime scene tape were wrapped around a pole in the city’s tiny downtown area. The police tape could also be seen in front of a boarded-up storefront, tangled up at the base of a sign commemorating the late soul singer Tyrone Davis, who was born nearby.

The crime scene is not far from City Hall, where family members gathered to seek answers. The media was not allowed inside.

“People were just congregating and having a good time in the downtown of Leland,” Simmons said of the town with a population of fewer than 4,000 people.

He was told that after the gunfire, the scene was “very chaotic,” as police, sheriff’s deputies and ambulances “responded from all over.”

“It’s just senseless gun violence,” he said. “What we are experiencing now is just a proliferation of guns just being in circulation.”

No arrests have been announced, and Simmons said late Saturday morning that he had not heard any information about possible suspects.

One witness, Camish Hopkins, described seeing people wounded and bleeding from various parts of their bodies and four people lying dead on the ground.

“It was the most horrific scene I’d ever seen,” Hopkins told The Associated Press after the meeting at City Hall.

Police shouted at people to keep behind crime-scene tape in the chaos, Hopkins added.

“No one was trying to really help,” Hopkins said. “Leland failed Leland yesterday, but I know that we can do better because this isn’t Leland.”

A separate shooting in eastern Mississippi killed 2

Meanwhile, police in the small Mississippi town of Heidelberg in the eastern part of the state are investigating a shooting during that community’s homecoming weekend that left two people dead.

Both of them were killed on the school campus Friday night, Heidelberg Police Chief Cornell White said. He declined to say whether the victims were students or provide other information about the crimes.

“Right now we’ve still got a subject at large, but I can’t give specifics,” White said Saturday morning.

An 18-year-old man was being sought for questioning in the Heidelberg shooting, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. The sheriff asked that anyone with information contact the police chief or sheriff’s office.

The shooting in Heidelberg happened on the school campus where the Heidelberg Oilers were playing their homecoming football game Friday night. The town of about 640 residents is about 85 miles southeast of the state capital of Jackson.

It wasn’t clear exactly when the gunfire occurred or how close it was to the stadium. White said he was at the scene Saturday investigating, and that more information might be released in coming days.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is helping local and federal law enforcement agencies in investigating, the governor said.

“Our state is praying for the victims and their families, as well as the entire Heidelberg and Leland communities,” Reeves said in a social media post. “Those responsible will be brought to justice.”

A third shooting under investigation, sheriff says

In Sharkey County, Mississippi, also in the Mississippi Delta region, the local sheriff was investigating yet another shooting after a high school football game in the area, authorities said.

Two people have been arrested in that shooting, which happened at a local school after its game Friday night, Sharkey County Sheriff Herbert Ceaser Sr. said in a statement.

The statement did not include any information on possible injuries, but said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family during this incredibly difficult time.” The sheriff could not immediately be reached for more information.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

 

Melania Trump Forces Yet Another Retraction and Apology from Book Publisher

Luis Cornelio
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Melania Trump Forces Yet Another Retraction and Apology from Book Publisher

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) One of the world’s largest book publishers publicly apologized to First Lady Melania Trump after publishing an uncorroborated claim that she was introduced to President Donald Trump by the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 

HarperCollins UK published the apology on Tuesday on X, saying that the book, The Rise and Fall of the House of York, had been recalled and that future editions would not include the disputed passages. 

Written by British author Andrew Lownie, the book primarily focuses on Prince Andrew, brother of King Charles III and an Epstein associate. However, it also claimed that Epstein “facilitated” the first meeting between the first lady and President Trump. 

Melania and Donald Trump have repeatedly stated they met through former modeling agent Paolo Zampolli at a New York Fashion Week party in 1998. 

Despite no evidence, several news outlets and media personalities repeated the Epstein claim, prompting legal threats from the First Lady. HarperCollins is just the latest publisher to apologize. 

“We have, in consultation with the author, removed several passages of the book that referenced unverified claims about the First Lady of the United States Melania Trump,” the British book publisher wrote. “Copies of the book that include those references are being permanently removed from distribution.”  

It added, “HarperCollins UK apologizes to the First Lady.” 

According to The New York Times, the conspiracy theories began after Epstein falsely took credit for linking Melania, then a model, with Trump.

Other entities and individuals who have issued similar apologies include Democratic strategist and podcast host James Carville and The Daily Beast.  

Hunter Biden, the embattled son of former President Joe Biden, made the claim but has yet to apologize, even after Trump threatened legal action for $1 billion. 

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