Republican Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), a victim of left-wing violence in 2017, is refuting a claim from a new tell-all book authored by Stephanie Grisham, who formerly served as chief of staff to former First Lady Melania Trump.
Scalise on Monday posted a Twitter thread, which included photos, to push back against Grisham’s claim that Mrs. Trump refused to meet Rep. Scalise at the White House after he was shot because she “already said hello” to the Republican at the hospital.
Quote-tweeting a post from Insider reporting on the book claim, Scalise wrote, “This is how the fake news media machine against President Trump and [Melania Trump] works. This never happened. My family went to visit the White House while I was still in the hospital and were graciously given a tour by President and Mrs. Trump.”
The Republican included three photos showing his family meeting with the Trumps — both President Donald Trump and Melania — at the White House.
🧵 THREAD:
This is how the fake news media machine against President Trump and @MELANIATRUMP works. This never happened. My family went to visit the White House while I was still in the hospital and were graciously given a tour by President and Mrs. Trump. https://t.co/oqwIUebtNg pic.twitter.com/pzJmEq1G1w
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) October 5, 2021
“This is another pathetic attempt by a disgraced former staffer to tell lies in order to sell books,” Scalise unleashed. “If her publisher or a single outlet covering this story had done any fact-checking, they would’ve learned it was fake. But they didn’t because it fits their fake narrative.”
“The fact they need to stoop so low to make up verifiably false stories about a shooting victim and his family to paint a false picture of the Trumps tells you everything you need to know about their credibility,” the Republican added.
The fact they need to stoop so low to make up verifiably false stories about a shooting victim and his family to paint a false picture of the Trumps tells you everything you need to know about their credibility.
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) October 5, 2021
In a statement to Insider, Scalise said he and his family never went to the White House for an unscheduled visit after he was released from the hospital, further refuting Grisham’s claim.
“President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump graciously gave my family a tour of the White House after I was shot in 2017, while I was still recovering in the hospital,” read the statement. “My family and I never went to the White House for an unscheduled visit following my release from the hospital. The fact that Ms. Grisham needs to make up verifiably false stories about a recovering shooting victim and his family to paint a false picture of President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump is disgusting and should tell you everything you need to know about the credibility of this book.”
Grisham, however, told Fox News she was referring to a different visit to the White House than the one Scalise posted about on Monday.
“I respect Steve Scalise and wouldn’t expect he’d know about a conversation that he was not party to,” Grisham said. “Perhaps he is conflating two separate events. Mrs. Trump chose not to greet him in the Blue Room after he was discharged from the hospital even though she was just upstairs. I found this to be disrespectful to Congressman Scalise and his family – his tweet does not contradict what I wrote in my book.”