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- Melania Trump is throwing her former top aide Stephanie Grisham under the bus.
- Grisham is set to publish a tell-all memoir about her time as the former first lady's right-hand woman.
- Trump's office blasted her "poor performance as press secretary" and "failed personal relationships."
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Former first lady Melania Trump is throwing Stephanie Grisham, who was once her top aide, under the bus ahead of the release of Grisham's bombshell memoir about her time in the White House and her relationship with the Trumps.
Politico reported on new details from Grisham's tell-all book, "I'll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw in The Trump White House," which is set to be released on October 5. In it, Grisham describes the former first lady as "dismissive" and "detached" like a "doomed French queen" after the January 6 Capitol insurrection.
"Stephanie has secrets about Trump that even the first lady doesn't know," a source told Politico. "Secrets that he doesn't want her to know. They will be in this book."
Melania Trump's office came out swinging in a statement to Politico.
"The intent behind this book is obvious," the statement said, adding of Grisham: "It is an attempt to redeem herself after a poor performance as press secretary, failed personal relationships, and unprofessional behavior in the White House. Through mistruth and betrayal, she seeks to gain relevance and money at the expense of Mrs. Trump."
The dig at "failed personal relationships" appears to be a reference to Grisham's reportedly turbulent and even abusive 18-month relationship with former White House official Max Miller, who is now a candidate for Congress in Ohio.
Politico Magazine reported in an extensive July profile of Miller that the pair's volatile relationship included fights over infidelity, including some that turned physical. The breaking point, sources told Politico, came in April 2020 when Miller slapped and pushed Grisham during a fight.
One person, whom Politico described as a non-White House source close to Grisham, confirmed that the episode "happened," describing it as "violent" and "hard" for Grisham.
Grisham didn't comment for the Politico Magazine story, and Miller's attorney categorically denied the allegations, saying that Miller "has never, ever assaulted Ms. Grisham in any way whatsoever."
Grisham served as the first lady's communications director, and then as White House press secretary for nine months from July 2019 to April 2020, a time during which she never once briefed the press.
Grisham was then removed as press secretary and replaced with Kayleigh McEnany as part of a communications staff shake-up under then-chief of staff Mark Meadows in early 2020. At that point, she returned to the East Wing to serve as the former first lady's chief of staff and spokeswoman until the day after the January 6 Capitol riots.
Her book, Politico reported, will also divulge details of her working relationships with Meadows and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.