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Alleged Plagiarist Monica Crowley Turned Down Trump Appointment

The conservative author said she'll "remain in New York to pursue other opportunities" and won't take the National Security Council comms job.
Monica Crowley at Trump Tower on December 15, 2016. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Monica Crowley, the conservative author and commentator who Trump tapped for a senior National Security Council communications job, has turned the gig down amid multiple accusations of plagiarism, the New York Times reports.

Crowley released a statement to the Washington Times Monday, explaining that she's "decided to remain in New York to pursue other opportunities and will not be taking a position in the incoming administration" (one that would not have required Senate approval). She added, "I greatly appreciate being asked to be part of President-elect Trump's team, and I will continue to enthusiastically support him and his agenda for American renewal."

The author did not comment on the CNN Money report that found she plagiarized 50 sections of her 2012 book, What the (Bleep) Just Happened? or an additional report from Politico that revealed she plagiarized at least 12 portions of her PhD dissertation at Columbia University in 2000. After the reports, publisher HarperCollins announced it would be pulling existing copies of Crowley's book until she could "source and revise the material."

As the senior director of strategic communications at the National Security Council, Crowley would have served under Trump's appointed national security advisor, retired Army general Michael T. Flynn. Flynn commented on the move Monday, saying, "The NSC will miss the opportunity to have Monica Crowley as part of our team. We wish her all the best in her future."