Trump's top security pick plagiarized book?

Author Monica Crowley, the US President-elect Donald Trump's pick for a top national security communications role, has been accused of plagiarizing large sections of her 2012 book.

According to CNN, the review of Crowley's June 2012 book, "What The (Bleep) Just Happened", found upwards of 50 examples of plagiarism from numerous sources including copying with minor changes of news articles, other columnists, think tanks and Wikipedia.

The New York Times bestseller contains no notes or bibliography.

Crowley, a syndicated radio host, columnist and, until recently, a Fox News contributor, will serve as Trump's senior director of strategic communications for the National Security Council.

Trump's transition team is standing by Crowley, the report said.

"Monica's exceptional insight and thoughtful work on how to turn this country around is exactly why she will be serving in the administration," a statement from a transition spokesperson said.

Crowley has been accused of plagiarism before.

In 1999, Slate magazine reported that a column by Crowley in the Wall Street Journal mirrored a 1988 article in Commentary, the neoconservative magazine.

The author denied the charge then, saying, "I did not, nor would I ever, use material from a source without citing it."

--IANS

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