INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Monica Crowley Accused Of Plagiarizing Large Portion Of 2012 Book

By Jennifer Deutschmann
Published on: 07:58 PST, Jan 7, 2017

Monica Crowley is accused of plagiarizing a large portion of her 2012 book “What the (Bleep) Just Happened.” The reported plagiarism was exposed by CNN’s Kfile investigative team, which allegedly found more than “50 examples of plagiarism” in the New York Times bestseller.

As reported by CNN, Crowley’s book, which is a political critique of President Barack Obama’s first term, did not contain a bibliography or any other mention of sources. However, portions of the text are either copied word-for-word or copied with “minor changes.”

The original sources of the plagiarized work reportedly include the Associated Press, BBC, Fox News, Investopedia, the Miles Institute, the New York Post, Politico, the Wall Street Journal, and Yahoo News.

Monica Crowley is also accused of plagiarizing Bloomberg View reporter Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review writers Andrew C. McCarthy, Michelle Malkin, and Rich Lowry, and several others.

A native of Warren Township, New Jersey, Monica Elizabeth Crowley attended Colgate University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.

According to reports, Monica wrote numerous letters to former President Richard Nixon while she was a student at Colgate University. As he was impressed with her writing, and her political views, Nixon hired the young woman as a foreign policy assistant. As reported by Bustle, Crowley was later appointed as Nixon’s director of communications.

Following Richard Nixon’s retirement in August 1994, Monica began writing columns for major news organizations, including the New York Post. She also worked as a commentator on NPR’s “Morning Edition.”

In 1996, Monica Crowley was hired as a foreign affairs and political analyst for Fox News Channel. Three years later, she was accused of her first act of plagiarism.

The controversy, which was discussed in an editorial written by Slate’s Timothy Noah, was related to Crowley’s article titled “The Day Nixon Said Goodbye,” — was published by the Wall Street Journal on August 9, 1999.

According to Noah, the article was disturbingly similar to an article written by Paul Johnson and published in Commentary magazine in 1988.

Although they did not admit Monica Crowley committed plagiarism, the Wall Street Journal added an editor’s note to the article four days after it was published.

“There are striking similarities in phraseology between ‘The Day Richard Nixon Said Goodbye,’ an editorial feature Monday by Monica Crowley, and a 1988 article by Paul Johnson in Commentary magazine… Had we known of the parallels, we would not have published the article.”

Monica Crowley was also accused of plagiarizing a parody of MoveOn.org advertisement during a 2008 episode of her self-titled podcast.

In July 2008, Huffington Post writer Laurie Kilmartin, who also ran the now-defunct 236.com, published a video clip titled “Meet William.” The clip was a parody of an advertisement titled “Not Alex,” in which a mother, holding an infant, criticizes John McCain for suggesting United States troops could be in Iraq for “maybe 100” Years.

Kilmartin said she was alarmed to hear the parody being played on The Monica Crowley Show, with no credit to the original source. She was further concerned when Crowley played the clip a second time and “claimed she created it” herself.

Although Laurie Kilmartin attempted to contact Crowley, she reportedly failed to respond.

Despite the accusations of plagiarism, Monica Crowley had an impressive career as an author, a talk show host, a political commentator, and foreign affairs advisor.

In fact, as reported by CNN, her reputation and skills caught the attention of President-elect Donald Trump — who announced plans to appoint her as the National Security Council’s Senior Director of Strategic Communications In December 2016.

Fewer than one month after Trump’s announcement, Monica Crowley is being accused of plagiarism once again.

When questioned about the latest allegations, Trump’s transition team suggested Crowley is a victim of “a politically motivated attack.”

“Monica’s exceptional insight and thoughtful work on how to turn this country around is exactly why she will be serving in the Administration… Any attempt to discredit Monica is nothing more than a politically motivated attack that seeks to distract from the real issues facing this country.”

Harper Collins, which published “What the (Bleep) Just Happened” has not commented on allegations that Monica Crowley plagiarized multiple sources in her bestselling book.

[Featured Image by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images]

Share this article: Monica Crowley Accused Of Plagiarizing Large Portion Of 2012 Book
More from Inquisitr