The family of Madeleine Westerhout, the personal assistant of US President Donald Trump, who resigned earlier this week after the White House declared her a “separated employee,” commented on the issue, saying Madeleine would never act maliciously against her president.
“There’s no question that if something happened then it was an honest mistake, not malicious,” her grandmother, Elaine, told The Daily Mail. “It’s quite sinister that some people seem to have been monitoring what she was doing and saying.”
According to Elaine, her granddaughter never discussed White House business in the family and always referred to the president as “kind-hearted and gentle.”
“The one thing that in my heart I would tell people is, that I think is very significant, is she has told us that in contrast to what many people say about President Trump, is that he is one of the most kind-hearted, gentle people that she’s ever worked for,” Elaine said.
She also disclosed that the former White House aide was very proud of her position in the Oval Office.
“The last time I saw her in March I had to pinch her to make sure she was real and what she was doing in the White House was real,” she said. “I said to her, ‘Are you sure you’re that girl who works at that desk right outside the Oval Office?’ She said, ‘Yes, that’s me.’ She was very proud of her job.”
Still, Elaine remains cautious in her judgement of what happened to her granddaughter.
“There must be a reason she ended up where she did with President Trump and there must be a reason she is no longer there,” she said. “I want to speak to her soon but I want to give her the chance to let this sink in.”
According to a Politico report, during a dinner with journalists Westerhout shared highly personal details about Trump and his relationship with his family members. Westerhout reportedly said Trump does not like to be photographed with his daughter Tiffany because she is overweight. She also told journalists that she was closer to Trump than both of his daughters, Ivanka and Tiffany.
On Friday, Trump confirmed that Westerhout had been dismissed for talking to reporters about his children, which she called “a bit hurtful.”
"It was too bad," Trump said, adding that Westerhout was a "very good person" who performed her job well. "I wished her well."
“I love Tiffany,” he took the time to add.
Neither the White House nor Westerhout has offered comment on the situation.
