The Justice Department is suing Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, an ex-friend and former adviser to first lady Melania Trump, claiming she breached a confidentiality agreement by publishing a tell-all book.

The complaint asserts that Wolkoff violated a nondisclosure agreement and asks for profits from the book to be secured in a government trust. It also says that neither the first lady, her chief of staff nor the White House counsel’s office received a draft of the book from Wolkoff and that the former adviser never sought authorization to disclose details of her work for the first lady.

Wolkoff’s book, “Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady,” details the fallout from Wolkoff’s working and personal relationship with Melania Trump, including private conversations between the two, according to CNN.

Wolkoff, a former Vogue magazine staffer who oversaw high-dollar events, had known Melania Trump for more than a decade when she was hired to organize the planning of President Trump’s inauguration.

She was also Trump’s first hire for the East Wing, acting as senior adviser to the first lady, writing speeches and helping craft what would become the “Be Best” platform. During her time working for the East Wing, Wolkoff was a special government employee, meaning she was not paid for her services.

In her book, Wolkoff describes the inauguration planning as a slapdash effort, claiming that the incoming President didn’t understand who was behind organizing the event.

She also secretly made a recording with the first lady, in which Melania Trump allegedly expresses frustration over the criticism of the Trump administration’s migrant family separation policy.

This isn’t the first time the Justice Department has gone after former Trump staffers publishing books about their time working in the White House. The department sued to prevent the release of John Bolton’s book, “The Room Where It Happened,” about his stint as the White House national security adviser under President Trump.

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.


We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.