Just one day after being accused (again) of plagiarism during a big speech, Melania Trump returned to the news on Friday when the Associated Press reported that she had been paid upwards of $20,000 for modeling jobs in the U.S. before she had her work visa.
The gigs occurred between Sept. 10 and Oct. 15, 1996. Trump got her H-1B visa on Oct. 18 of that year. During that period, she was legally allowed to look for work, but not to actually perform any.
The documents verifying this work came from the files of the now-closed Metropolitan International Management, according to the AP. The documents were found in storage and were verified by a former employee of the company, who chose to remain anonymous for fear of Donald Trump's notoriously litigious ways.
According to the documents, Melania was paid $20,526 before receiving her visa. The company also paid her rent, paid for her pager, and lent her money.
The fact that the wife of Donald Trump, who based his campaign on criticizing and promising to deport "illegal" and "criminal" immigrants, herself apparently worked illegally did not escape notice. Donald Trump's longtime antagonist Rosie O'Donnell certainly paid attention.
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