Trump pick Monica Crowley to step down after plagiarism accusations

Monica Crowley, the foreign policy adviser tapped for a White House job under President-elect Donald Trump, will relinquish the post, a transition official told Reuters on Monday.

Crowley had been chosen to serve as senior director of strategic communications at the National Security Council. Her appointment had been shadowed by reports of plagiarism in news outlets including CNN and Politico.

“After much reflection I have decided to remain in New York to pursue other opportunities and will not be taking a position in the incoming administration,” she said in a statement quoted by the Washington Times.

“I greatly appreciate being asked to be part of President-elect Trump’s team and I will continue to enthusiastically support him and his agenda for American renewal.”

A CNN review found this month that Crowley plagiarized thousands of words of her 2000 dissertation for her Columbia University Ph.D.

In addition, Politico reported that it found more than a dozen examples of plagiarism in Crowley's Ph.D. dissertation.

She had been hired to work for Trump's national security adviser, retired General Michael Flynn, who said in a statement quoted by The Times that he will miss the opportunity to have Crowley on his team.

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by James Dalgleish)