Paul Manafort defends Melania Trump's convention speech after plagiarism charges

“They’re a couple of phrases. It’s basically three places in the speech and its fragments of words,” he said. “She knew what she was doing. And she never cribbed from another speech without acknowledging that she was quoting somebody else.”

“We’re talking about words like compassion, love of family, respect,” Manafort added. “These are not words that are unique words, that belong to the Obamas.”

Asked if the speech was vetted by any campaign officials, Manafort said: “Sure, people looked at the speech, but frankly, this was her vision of what she wanted to communicate about her husband.”