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Melania likely worked illegally in the US

Chomsky said:
I saw this yesterday, but was too busy to post it.

But yeah, it's a pretty wild development.

The problem is: We can't access the INS documents without her permission - which obviously never will happen. So all we can do is go by her recorded personal statements, archival images of her removed personal website, and her public work records - which together seem to indicate she was indeed here working illegally.

Now the additional problem is: Her words, recorded or not, are not the same as documented proof in hard paper.

But I think it's interesting that this story has been active for maybe 36 hours, and the Trump campaign has been (unusual for them) silent on the matter. Either they're spooked, or Trump has done the only smart move he has in the last two weeks! :lamo
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That's what people are going by?

Call me nonplussed. I only see a conspiracy theory - not actual evidence. Just like Birthers. They had some old, dying woman's faulty memory and rampant, paranoid suspicion.

I am going to die of laughter if people who flipped out over the Birther accusations are actually going to hop on this bandwagon against Trump's Third Wife.

If partying the hell out of life, lying about it, not reporting your child missing, and having too much fun living single wasn't enough to convict Casey Anthony of murdering her daughter then who gives a **** about circumstantial evidence?

Heresay.

Random couch net surfers don't have the capacity to investigate cases.
 
Aunt Spiker said:
That's what people are going by?

Call me nonplussed. I only see a conspiracy theory - not actual evidence. Just like Birthers. They had some old, dying woman's faulty memory and rampant, paranoid suspicion.

I am going to die of laughter if people who flipped out over the Birther accusations are actually going to hop on this bandwagon against Trump's Third Wife.
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Well, the evidence is pretty clear. Melania outlined what she did in multiple interviews - she came here as a model and had to return to Slovenia every few months to get her visa stamped...which means she was here on a tourist visa which does not allow you to work.
 
Aunt Spiker said:
That's what people are going by?

Call me nonplussed. I only see a conspiracy theory - not actual evidence. Just like Birthers. They had some old, dying woman's faulty memory and rampant, paranoid suspicion.

I am going to die of laughter if people who flipped out over the Birther accusations are actually going to hop on this bandwagon against Trump's Third Wife.

If partying the hell out of life, lying about it, not reporting your child missing, and having too much fun living single wasn't enough to convict Casey Anthony of murdering her daughter then who gives a **** about circumstantial evidence?

Heresay.

Random couch net surfers don't have the capacity to investigate cases.
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The evidence is neither circumstantial, nor hearsay. Her own words show that she was here on a visa that did not allow her to work, and that she did work.
 
Maybe I should be more clear: WHO GIVES A **** WHAT HIS EX WIFE DID.

Last I looked, she wasn't going to be First Lady.

Or are presidential candidates now, suddenly, being held accountable for EVERYTHING ethical or immoral that their ex spouses did. Because for starters THEY'RE DIVORCED.

Seriously? Are some people honestly at that point?

There's 1,000,001 reasons to not support Trump but people are all worried about his ex wife? Makes people look a little nuts, to be honest. A little too pathetically desperate - just like before, when activities from HIGH SCHOOL were stirred up against one candidate.
 
Aunt Spiker said:
Maybe I should be more clear: WHO GIVES A **** WHAT HIS EX WIFE DID.

Last I looked, she wasn't going to be First Lady.

Or are presidential candidates now, suddenly, being held accountable for EVERYTHING ethical or immoral that their ex spouses did. Because for starters THEY'RE DIVORCED.

Seriously? Are some people honestly at that point?

There's 1,000,001 reasons to not support Trump but people are all worried about his ex wife? Makes people look a little nuts, to be honest. A little too pathetically desperate - just like before, when activities from HIGH SCHOOL were stirred up against one candidate.
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Unless there's been some recent news that I'm unaware of, Melania is his current wife. They're not divorced

At least, not yet
 
sangha said:
Unless there's been some recent news that I'm unaware of, Melania is his current wife. They're not divorced

At least, not yet
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I thought his wife's name was Ivanka . . . ROFL - but I guess that's his daughter.

I don't even care who's who - so I'll be certain to never do anything that remotely defends his pathetic ass again... you all have fun. lol
 
Aunt Spiker said:
That's what people are going by?
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Yes, and it's enough to start asking questions. Her own statements strongly suggest she was working while in the US while on a tourist visa.

ICE could investigate, but that seems unlikely.

Melania could release her immigration paperwork and visas, but that also seems unlikely.

It's also richly ironic, given that Trump is on record opposing the type of visas she should have had (and might have gotten in 1996), specifically a H1B visa.

It's not a huge deal. It's mostly just emblematic of the ineptitude of the Trump campaign, which should have thoroughly vetted the entire family, and been prepared for things like this to come up.
 
Aunt Spiker said:
Maybe I should be more clear: WHO GIVES A **** WHAT HIS EX WIFE DID.

Last I looked, she wasn't going to be First Lady.

Or are presidential candidates now, suddenly, being held accountable for EVERYTHING ethical or immoral that their ex spouses did. Because for starters THEY'RE DIVORCED.

Seriously? Are some people honestly at that point?

There's 1,000,001 reasons to not support Trump but people are all worried about his ex wife? Makes people look a little nuts, to be honest. A little too pathetically desperate - just like before, when activities from HIGH SCHOOL were stirred up against one candidate.
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Hmmm. Funny.

Your first post said the evidence was nonexistent.

Now to 'clarify', you say it doesnt matter.

And to compound it, you seem to think that this is about his ex-wife, not his current wife, but we all understand its hard to keep the young hot Eastern Europeans differentiated- they all look alike to many of us.
 
Threegoofs said:
Hmmm. Funny.

Your first post said the evidence was nonexistent.

Now to 'clarify', you say it doesnt matter.

And to compound it, you seem to think that this is about his ex-wife, not his current wife, but we all understand its hard to keep the young hot Eastern Europeans differentiated- they all look alike to many of us.
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See post 32.

I thought he'd been married four times and his current wife was Ivanka. But apparently that's his daughter. I can't claim to care too much about Trump to really figure out who's who and what's what in his life.

So - It's free laugh day at Aunt Spiker's expense. I made an ass of myself - nothing to see here :D
 
Aunt Spiker said:
See post 32.

I thought he'd been married four times and his current wife was Ivanka. But apparently that's his daughter. I can't claim to care too much about Trump to really figure out who's who and what's what in his life.

So - It's free laugh day at Aunt Spiker's expense. I made an ass of myself - nothing to see here :D
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Actually, it's well established that Trump wants to bang Ivanka, so you're not far off.

But...she's getting a little old for him.
 
Threegoofs said:
Actually, it's well established that Trump wants to bang Ivanka, so you're not far off.

But...she's getting a little old for him.
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You just gave me an idea for a book series! Thanks! LOL (Inspiration comes from weird sources).
 
Aunt Spiker said:
That's what people are going by?

Call me nonplussed. I only see a conspiracy theory - not actual evidence. Just like Birthers. They had some old, dying woman's faulty memory and rampant, paranoid suspicion.

I am going to die of laughter if people who flipped out over the Birther accusations are actually going to hop on this bandwagon against Trump's Third Wife.

If partying the hell out of life, lying about it, not reporting your child missing, and having too much fun living single wasn't enough to convict Casey Anthony of murdering her daughter then who gives a **** about circumstantial evidence?

Heresay.

Random couch net surfers don't have the capacity to investigate cases.
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Yeah, what's essentially going on is Donald and Melania claiming she got her Green card in 2001. She then claimed in a 1996 video that she had to return to her European country every few months to renew her temporary visa; this implies she didn't hold an H1B allowing her to work, but rather had a visitor's visa; Her recently removed (but internet archived) website indicates this as well.

None of this meant much until her nude photo-shoot from 1995 surfaced.

And while you claim "hearsay", it's in her own words on date-stamped video which I suppose technically implies self-incrimination.

But in political terms, I think you're right and little will come of this - *unless* documents showing her visa status surface. Then she has a problem, and Trump has some exposure too, and I could see it ending-up in the debates.
 
Threegoofs said:
Well, the evidence is pretty clear. Melania outlined what she did in multiple interviews - she came here as a model and had to return to Slovenia every few months to get her visa stamped...which means she was here on a tourist visa which does not allow you to work.
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Exactly.

But unless/until her INS docs get leaked, I think this story is pretty much dead.

And I'd bet my bottom dollar there's a gazzillion hackers & journalists trying to crack those very docs as we speak!
 
Visbek said:
She wasn't an employee. She was booking jobs through a Parisian modeling agency.

If she wanted to work in the US, she was supposed to get an H1B or similar visa. However, that lets you stay in the US for 3 years, and there is no need to go back to your own nation.

She explicitly stated that she went back to Slovenia every few months. The only visas that require the national to return to their nation are tourist visas, and you're not supposed to work in the US on a tourist visa.

Of course, it was (and probably still is) fairly common for models to do this, especially among agencies that were less scrupulous or less organized.

It's not a huge deal, but it is a violation of immigration law, and a tad hypocritical for Trump & the Trumpettes to take a hard line against illegal immigration, but give Trump a pass -- not just on this, but on using H1B's for Mar-A-Lago and similar Trump businesses, even while Trump proclaims he wants to stop H1Bs. It ties into a (slightly) larger narrative of "WTF."

That said, keep in mind that partisans are highly sensitive to hypocrisies by the other side, and very willing to cut people on their own side lots of slack for transgressions.
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Very well stated.

(the bolded)
 
cpwill said:
Johnson/Weld have released a statement promising that, as President / VP, their administration would not deport her, no matter Trump's insistence.
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I'm coming to appreciate the Libertarian Party's humor! :lamo
 
Visbek said:
Yes, and it's enough to start asking questions. Her own statements strongly suggest she was working while in the US while on a tourist visa.

ICE could investigate, but that seems unlikely.

Melania could release her immigration paperwork and visas, but that also seems unlikely.

It's also richly ironic, given that Trump is on record opposing the type of visas she should have had (and might have gotten in 1996), specifically a H1B visa.

It's not a huge deal. It's mostly just emblematic of the ineptitude of the Trump campaign, which should have thoroughly vetted the entire family, and been prepared for things like this to come up.
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I believe the reason the Trump campaign is so unprepared and inept, is:

He never expected his campaign to succeed! :lamo

--

I believe it was initially simply self-promotion, and just so happened to take-off leaving the candidate in the dust.
 
Aunt Spiker said:
See post 32.

I thought he'd been married four times and his current wife was Ivanka. But apparently that's his daughter. I can't claim to care too much about Trump to really figure out who's who and what's what in his life.

So - It's free laugh day at Aunt Spiker's expense. I made an ass of myself - nothing to see here :D
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We still love ya', Auntie ... ;)
 
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