Mark Makela/Reuters
Melania Trump earned more than $20,000 from modeling jobs in the U.S. before she had a work permit, a report released Friday shows. The report, by the Associated Press, cited detailed accounting ledgers, contracts and related documents from two decades ago to show Melania Trump worked at least 10 modeling jobs before she had legal permission to do so. Donald Trump, who made illegal immigration a focal point of his campaign and has railed against undocumented workers, has always maintained that Melania only worked after receiving a work permit. Throughout Trump’s campaign, questions have repeatedly been raised about Melania Trump’s status and activities since her arrival in the U.S., but she has declined to release her immigration records. A New York immigration lawyer who previously reviewed Mrs. Trump’s documents at her request said the latest documents appear to be inconsistent with the documents he reviewed. The lawyer, Michael J. Wildes, was cited as telling the AP that “these documents, which have not been verified, do not reflect our records including corresponding passport stamps.” Wildes did not elaborate on the inconsistencies, but the ledgers cited in the latest report show a charge for a car service to pick up Melania Trump a day before she was officially registered in the country, according to the report.