In this Dec. 15, 2016 file photo, Monica Crowley smiles in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York. The publisher of Crowley’s “What the (Bleep) Just Happened?” said Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017, it is halting sales of the book, pending the “opportunity” for the aide to President-elect Donald Trump to revise her text. AP FILE PHOTO
WASHINGTON—The conservative author and pundit chosen by Donald Trump for a top communications post on the National Security Council (NSC) has decided not to accept the position amid allegations that she plagiarized key passages in a best-selling book.
“After much reflection, I have decided to remain in New York to pursue other opportunities and will not be taking a position in the incoming administration,” Monica Crowley, a former Fox News commentator, told the conservative Washington Times, where she previously was an online opinion editor.
Crowley — who had been tapped to serve as senior director of strategic communications for the NSC — made no mention of the plagiarism allegations.
Trump’s future national security adviser, Michael Flynn, confirmed Crowley’s withdrawal, adding, “We wish her all the best.”
Crowley, who holds a doctorate in international relations, had been named on December 15 to the NSC post, in which she would have helped shape the Trump administration’s messaging on diplomatic and security issues.
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But she also would have helped write speeches — making the plagiarism charges more sensitive.
CNN reported on January 7 that dozens of passages in Crowley’s book “What the (Bleep) Just Happened?” had been closely copied from other sources. Publisher HarperCollins subsequently withdrew the book.
The Trump transition team had at first defended Crowley as the victim of “a political attack,” without confirming or denying the allegations.
Then Politico found other copied passages in her doctoral thesis on US-Chinese relations, completed in 2000 while she was at Columbia University.
In late December, another Trump appointee, Jason Miller, withdrew his name as White House communications director.
He said he wanted to spend more time with his family, though his withdrawal came after tweets from another Trump adviser suggesting Miller had had an extramarital affair.