On Thursday, Melania Trump took to Twitter to respond to the allegations surrounding her immigration status.
— MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) August 4, 2016
Her post came hours after Politico published a story highlighting some of the inconsistencies regarding what Donald Trump has said about his wife’s immigration status and how Melania has described herself in the past.
“The racy photos of the would-be first lady, published in the New York Post on Sunday and Monday, inadvertently highlight inconsistencies in the various accounts she has provided over the years,” Politico writers Ben Schreckinger and Gabriel Debenedetti wrote. “And, immigration experts say, there’s even a slim chance that any years-old misrepresentations to immigration authorities could pose legal problems for her today.”
They continued: “The inconsistencies come on top of reports by CBS News and GQ magazine that [Melania] Trump falsely claimed to have obtained a college degree in Slovenia but could be more politically damaging because her husband has made opposition to illegal immigration the foundation of his presidential run.”
While Melania’s statement in response to the allegations may have been intended to clear the air, many say that she only dug a deeper hole.
In her statement, Melania specifies the year 1996. However, the photos obtained by the Post place her as a model in the U.S. as early as 1995. In addition, Melania’s Slovenian biographer told Politico that the wife of the GOP nominee was not “technically” legal in 1995 when the two made trips to the U.S.
In addition, during a February interview with the Washington Post, Melania said she would return every few months to Europe to renew her visa.
“I follow the law,” Melania said. “I follow a law the way it’s supposed to be. I never thought to stay here without papers. I had visa. I travel every few months back to the country, to Slovenia, to stamp the visa. I came back. I applied for the green card. I applied for the citizenship later on after many years of green card. So I went by system. I went by the law, and you should do that.”
However, she wouldn’t need to take these measures if she had an H-1B work visa. According to Bloomberg View, holders are generally admitted to the U.S. for a three-year duration, which means Melania wouldn’t have needed to travel in and out of the country every few months.
If Melania had a short-term tourist visa, which previous allegations suggest, she wouldn’t have been able to work in the U.S. as a model.
As of publication, the Trump campaign has not responded for comment.
