Her unexpected appearance during Michael Cohen's Wednesday testimony led to one of the most heated exchanges of the day-long hearing.
By Antonia Noori Farzan Antonia Noori Farzan Reporter for Morning Mix Email Bio Follow February 28 at 7:08 AM At the end of a long day of congressional testimony on Wednesday, sparks flew as accusations of racism were hurled around the room. The spat centered on a surprise guest: Lynne Patton, a Department of Housing and Urban Development official whom Rep. Mark Meadows had singled out as proof that President Trump wasn’t racist, countering the claims of Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen.
It was a classic display of combativeness from one of Trump’s most controversial appointees. Patton, who speaks openly about her former struggles with drug addiction, worked her way into Trump’s inner circle, then landed a highly paid position in his administration after helping with minority outreach on his 2016 campaign.
“I wonder how many times she has to show up places because of something racist Trump has said,” the Comedy Central host said. “Like, it feels like she has to bail him out. At 3 a.m., she’s getting texts from Trump like, ‘Quick, Lynne, I need you to come down to the golf club. I thought someone was Steve Harvey . . . but it was not Steve Harvey!’”
Initially hired as a senior adviser to HUD Secretary Ben Carson, Patton came under scrutiny in August 2017, when she was tapped to oversee the department’s regional office for New York and New Jersey at an annual salary of $161,900. As The Washington Post’s Tracy Jan reported at the time, she had no experience with housing policy and instead had worked as a personal aide to Trump’s children before joining his 2016 presidential campaign.
Those responsibilities included helping to plan his wedding, the New York Daily News reported in a cover story. Patton would later say that she had only volunteered, as a “close friend,” to pick out Lara Trump’s wedding dress and finalize the guest list for the event. In 2012, she was named the chief of staff for the Trump family, helping to manage their personal affairs and plan charity golf tournaments at Trump properties.
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