Hours after vowing to sue Sheena Monnin, the former Miss Pennsylvania USA who turned in her crown and publicly claimed that last weekend’s Miss USA pageant was rigged, Trump now says that he’s willing to not seek “massive damages” from her, on one condition.
“Donald Trump believes in giving everyone a second chance, including Ms. Sheena Monnin,” Michael D. Cohen, executive VP and special counsel to Trump, said in a statement to E! News.
“Accordingly, if Ms. Monnin in a writing received by Mr. Trump within the next 24 hours apologizes and withdraws her utterly baseless claim that the Miss USA pageant results were predetermined, then and only then will Mr. Trump and the Miss USA Organization not proceed with litigation against Ms. Monnin seeking massive damages for her defamatory and offensive remarks.”
Earlier this week, Miss USA contestant Sheena Monnin resigned from her post as Miss Pennsylvania, alleging that Sunday’s competition was rigged. On Wednesday, an outraged Trump spoke to Good Morning America about the beauty queen’s “absolutely ridiculous” claims.
“I think that, frankly, she should apologize, but we will be bringing a lawsuit against her,” he said. “She lost and if you look at her compared to the people who were in the top 15, you would understand why she’s not in the top 15. It’s a very, very sad situation.”
Monnin wrote on her Facebook page Monday that she “witnessed another contestant who said she saw the list of the Top 5 BEFORE THE SHOW EVER STARTED proceed to call out in order who the Top 5 were before they were announced on stage saying she saw the list of the Top 5.”
“After it was indeed the Top 5 I knew the show must be rigged; I decided at that moment to distance myself from an organization who did not allow fair play and whose morals did not match my own,” the 27-year-old brunette added. “In good conscience I can no longer be affiliated in any way with an organization I consider to be fraudulent, lacking in morals, inconsistent, and in many ways trashy.”
Trump, who did not want to name the contestant being discussed, said his people had “already interviewed that person and that person said it’s not true.”
He said Monnin’s resignation and accusations against the organization are nothing more than “loser’s remorse.”
Trump doesn’t think that Monnin “had an issue” with the pageant changing its policy on accepting transgender individuals. ”I think [Monnin's] primary issue was that she lost and she’s angry about losing,” Trump added. “Frankly, in my opinion, I saw her for barely a second, she didn’t deserve to be in the top 15.”
Monnin, who in two days of controversy went from 800 to 3,800 friends, posted on her Facebook page: “At this time I am considering which media outlet to give my first interview. Thank you for your encouragement, support, and kind words.”
Read more: http://www.eonline.com/news/donald_trump_promises_sue_miss_usa/321562#ixzz1x7fSh9rj
Sheena should only apologise to Trump if he fires Paula Stuggart & appoints her (Sheena) in her place. Bcoz we can all see how bold & right she is & maybe when she’s incharge better smart women will be crowned Miss Usa & MU & both the shows will be well themed & organised. Paula is old & doesnt know how to organise the shows as per modern times. Paula has to be fired for good. If not both shows r going to very soon be stopped.
Donald Trump & Paula should be ashamed of themselves for running such a big MUO with so much scandal. If they think these scandals lead to fame they’re wrong bcoz its only giving them a bad name. Trump wants to sue Sheena bcoz she criticised the pageant as trashy but he didnt have the guts to sue Jenna who changed the pageant for natural single women to a pageant that allows trangenders to compete & win against/with real women. Sheena does make a point & many people who support her know that she’s right. Maybe she should have won Miss Usa bcoz she is a bold, smart & daring woman compared to Rhode Island. Also how can Trump say that only the Top 16 r the best. What about the remaining women they r also smart & intelligent in their own ways. This is just a silly beauty pageant & not a job interview. Trump better behave & respect women & consider that all 50 women competing in Miss Usa r beautiful & smart & women arent just toys/dolls or robots for him to play with or take advantage of. If he doesnt mend his ways the next we will all see Trump being sued by all women of America bcoz every mother of every girl that competed in Miss Usa knows that their daughter is beautiful & will surely hate Trump for the way he has spoken.
I agree that Pennsylvania was not top 15 material, but you are all missing the point. The point in question is about the top 5 being predetermined.
I think the only way the MUO gets noticed is through scandals… does this look like an organization that empowers women?
Not only the MU pageant is loosing credibility, now the Miss USA as well. Trump is so stup… making those comments about a contestant’s looks. How about personality and elegance that is also supposed to count along with looks to be selected among the semifinalists?…This man and his organization is all trash with his ridiculous comments and at the end, they are the ones sacrifising themselves and putting both pageants in a very low level.
Sounds like ‘the Donald’ is backing down a bit, eh? So the MUO has no hand in selecting the semifinalists, Donald? Is that what you declared on TV a couple of days ago? LOL!
Take a closer, honest look at Monnin’s performance and pics as compared to the finalists.
Trump has a point, she is not Top 15 material.
More power to Miss Monnin!
This again shows what a classless organization MUO has become. Public tirades against a contestant’s looks, lawsuits against girls etc….is all this really warranted? How many directors will want their girls to be involved in this mess for much longer? To Trump and MUO, the girls are just commodities to be exploited for profit. The MUO titleholders are little more than less glamorous, low budget Playboy bunnies, with fewer post pageant career prospects.
That’s the best move MUO can do, filing a law suit, and let the truth comes out and possibly clear its name.
That is also the best time for Monnin to show her evidence. If she was telling the truth, she has nothing to be scared of.
Fair enough, and let’s see who’s corrupt.
Trump and Paula should be disgusted and ashamed of themselves! Clearly they have too much money and not enough decency and morals! Why does Sheema offend them so much that they feel the need to threaten her with a law-suit?! Why not just ignore her remarks and think of it as none other then sour grapes, surely they have had experience with contestants like her in the past?!
They way Trump, Paula and the MUO have behaved towards Sheena is utterly disgusting and especially for Trump to go on live national TV and say that she was not worthy of the top 16 and then to add further unsult by saying she was nothing compared to those contestants that were in the top 16 is absolutley vile.
Sheena should consider suing him for those remarks he made towards her, i think she could easily build a case in front of a tribunial judge who can question Trump by what he meant when he said “that he barely met her for a second and she wasn’t deserving of the top 15′ how did he know within that rather short time frame what Sheena was like as a contestant? Also Trump and the MUO should be questioned thoroughly and be asked to provide a set criteria based on their choice of 6 contestants for the semi-final line up, they should be be able to explain on what reasons they select these 6 girls. Just to rule out any form of possible descrimination and being biased.
National Directors are paying this org a franchise fee its not fair if their girls have scored within the top 15 of the preliminary competitions but are then replaced with 6 other contestants who pobably and more then likely scored less hence the interference of Trump and his gang, It is fraud and robbery to certain extent when you think about it.
If i were Sheena i would tell trump where he can stick his request for an apology and give him the middle finger!
I often wonder if some of Trump’s choices are not favors being owed.
I am not surprised that the Ukraine placed four times (two going into top 5) after Miss Ukraine did not make the cut in 2004, Donald caused a big stink and had her returned as a judge AND now director for the pageant in the Ukraine.
Trump’s rationale is that he was tired of seeing contestants who should make the cut but didn’t and apparently, many of his choices are also questionable to say the least.
I agree that if Trump and his cohorts wants to have a say in who makes the cut, they should be more transparent in it as the criteria and how they make the selections.
I don’t know if the winner is predetermined, but the fact that the MUO has a say in 1/3 of the top 15 is totally unfair. We need to go back to the days where the judges scores alone determine the top 15. I do like the audience pick so that can stay in as well. It seems funny that the rehearsal top 5 list was the actual top 5. Things that make you go hmmmm. That being said, I think Oliva Culpo will make a wonderful Miss USA and will do very well at Miss Universe. Neither side will name the alleged delegate who saw the top 5 list. She needs to come forward and refute this claim, or say yes it is true.
In my opinion the MUO has gone downhill since Mr. Trump took over. If I had been the director in 2006, Tara would have lost her crown. I would, however, paid her fees and expenses for rehab.
Donald should just leave Sheena alone. The more he talks, the more he makes the Miss Universe org. look bad.
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Could the former Miss Pennsylvania actually be right in saying that the winner of the pageant is predetermined??? Mr Trump would have been better off not responding to the allegations at all!
Trump is so disrespectful to Sheena, after she spent so much time and money in his pageant system, helping his bottom line. I also find him to disrespecting women in general, especially those Miss USA contestants that didn’t make the Top 16, saying they weren’t “good enough”, as if they’re just objects to be ranked. To blackmail Sheena by saying he won’t press charges only if she apologizes, is bullying plain and simple. Who knows, the other named contestant may deny there was a list because she’s afraid and also afraid of losing her state title.
I consider former Miss Pennsylvania a sore loser, but a suit against her is bad. Worse things have we heard about Miss USA and Miss Universe, what about the deflamatory accusations from Jenna to Miss Universe, and Mr. Trump didn’t have the ba…guts to confront a lawsuit from witch Allred lawyer. Why especially this time? Sheena Monnin doesn’t have the coverage and support from media hunger lawyers to defend her. Let her be sore as she is, in one month from now nobody will remember her.
I do believe miss pennsylvania 100%…
Oh dear, I wish Donald would be a little bit more tact in regards to Miss Pennsylvania’s looks, his comments about her suppose lack of beauty will only add sympathy to her side, whether her allegations are true or not (and I think not).