July 19, 2016 08:39 AM UTC

Melania Trump, Meet Scott McPlagiarist!

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• by: Colorado Pols

TUESDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: File this away as another example of the response being worse than the original offense. CNN.com is running a front-page graphic comparing Melania Trump’s speech with Michelle Obama’s 2008 remarks.

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The big story swirling after yesterday’s Night 1 of the Trump Republican National Convention in Cleveland has a familiar ring:

Donald Trump’s campaign manager denied allegations Tuesday that Melania Trump plagiarized a Michelle Obama speech on the first night of the Republican National Convention, calling the accusation “just really absurd.”

…At least one passage in Trump’s speech Monday night plagiarized from Obama’s address to the Democratic National Convention in 2008.Side-by-side comparisons of the transcripts show the text in Trump’s address following, nearly to the word, the would-be future first lady’s own from the first night of the Democratic convention in Denver nearly eight years ago.

The denials are coming fast and furious from Camp Trump, but the words in question leave little doubt:

Here is Trump, on Monday:

“From a young age, my parents impressed on me the values that you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your bond and you do what you say and keep your promise, that you treat people with respect. They taught and showed me values and morals in their daily lives. That is a lesson that I continue to pass along to our son,” Trump said.

And we need to pass those lessons on to the many generations to follow. Because we want our children in this nation to know that the only limit to your achievements is the strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.”

And here is Obama, on August 25, 2008:

“And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say you’re going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don’t know them, and even if you don’t agree with them.

And Barack and I set out to build lives guided by these values, and to pass them on to the next generation. Because we want our children — and all children in this nation — to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.”

Prior to giving her speech last night at the convention, Melania Trump said unequivocally that she had written the speech with “as little help as possible.” Now that she’s accused of plagiarism, of course, it seems much more likely that the blame will fall on a subordinate speechwriter–even if that requires Melania to revise her claims of principal authorship. Given Donald Trump’s extreme reluctance to admit anything like a mistake, it’s likely that the story will go on far too long before the buck-passing even starts.

We of course recalled immediately the 2010 plagiarism scandal that effectively ended gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis’ campaign, following a similar arc from denial to the blaming of subordinates who cribbed the words attributed to McInnis “without his knowledge.” In both cases the audacity and degree of the plagiarism is quote shocking, and it’s hard to understand how it was carried out without any concerns that it would be discovered. We’ve even wondered in retrospect if the “researcher” helping McInnis had burned him on purpose.

Either way, it’s just…so sloppy. It amazes us to see it happen repeatedly at such high, or at least well-funded, levels.