Maria Puente

USA TODAY

A New York Times reporter was reprimanded for referring to "an unfounded rumor" about first lady Melania Trump, after model/actress Emily Ratajkowski tweet-tattled on Monday that the unnamed reporter called FLOTUS a "hooker."

On Monday afternoon, after Ratajkowski's tweets called out the reporter for "slut shaming" and "disgusting, sexist" tripe, the Times, which has been under steady attack from President Trump for months, issued a statement via spokeswoman Eileen Murphy.

"At a party last night, a Times reporter who does not cover Washington or politics, referred to an unfounded rumor regarding Melania Trump. The comment was not intended to be public, but it was nonetheless completely inappropriate and should not have occurred. Editors have talked to the reporter in question about the lapse."

According to Ratajkowski's tweets, she sat next to a "NYT reporter" at an event Sunday night during New York Fashion Week where the reporter called Mrs. Trump the negative term.

"Whatever your politics, it's crucial to call this out for what it is: slut shaming," Ratajkowski (Gone Girl) said in her tweets.

Mrs. Trump's past has been in the news recently because she's just refiled a $150 million libel suit (unprecedented for a sitting first lady) against the British tabloid Daily Mail's website for reporting that the first lady once worked for modeling agencies that also operated as escort agencies.

Melania Trump's 'Daily Mail' lawsuit: A FLOTUS first?

There is no evidence this is true, and Trump and her lawyers have denounced the report as 100% false. The Mail subsequently retracted the story but Trump is pursuing a lawsuit anyway, claiming the false story had damaged her "brand" and her ability to profit from her fame and position.

Perhaps this was what the reporter was referring to, and perhaps it was a shock to Ratajkowski, 25. In any case, she expressed her outrage to her 979,000 Twitter followers.

The fracas embarrassed the NYT at a time when it is already under steady fire, along with the rest of the mainstream media, for allegedly being unfair and biased against Trump.

Mrs Trump issued a statement late Monday: "Applause to all women around the world who speak up, stand up and support other women.”