Melania Trump bluntly refused to condemn Jan. 6 violence: New book

Melania Trump was asked by her chief of staff to call for peace shortly after rioters broke through through the barricades outside the U.S. Capitol, but refused.

The former first lady's chief of staff, Stephanie Grisham, reveals in her upcoming book that she advised Trump at 1:25 p.m. that a protest of her husband's election loss had turned violent, as the former president's supporters converged on the Capitol and overwhelmed police to storm into the building, and she urged her to denounce the violent turn, reported Politico's Playbook.

"Do you want to tweet that peaceful protests are the right of every American, but there is no place for lawlessness and violence?" Grisham said via text message.

The first lady, who at that time was preparing a photo shoot of a rug she had selected, replied one minute later: "No."

Grisham's forthcoming book, "I'll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw in The Trump White House," also reveals that she urged Melania Trump multiple times during the transition process to invite Jill Biden to the traditional tea, but she was rebuffed because the first lady shared her husband's view that the election was stolen.

The exchange undercuts Donald Trump's claims that he was unaware that vice president Mike Pence faced danger when he tweeted out an attack on him at 2:24 p.m. that day, as rioters prowled through the Capitol threatening to hang him and other elected officials who refused to overturn the election loss.

"Stephanie has secrets about Trump that even the first lady doesn't know," said a publishing source. "Secrets that he doesn't want her to know. They will be in this book."