Melania Trump

Melania Trump, wife of Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump, speaks during the opening day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on Monday. A speechwriter for Melania Trump said Wednesday she submitted her resignation over reports of plagiarism, but Donald Trump and his family rejected the offer.

(J. Scott Applewhite, Associated Press)

CLEVELAND, Ohio--A writer for Melania Trump's Republican National Convention speech on Monday said she submitted her resignation Tuesday after reports of plagiarism, but the Trump family rejected it.

"Mr. Trump told me that people make innocent mistakes and that we learn and grow from these experiences," said speechwriter Meredith McIver, who apologized in a letter released by Donald Trump's presidential campaign on Wednesday.

Parts of Melania Trump's convention speech paralleled language used by First Lady Michelle Obama in her speech during the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

McIver explained in her letter:

In working with Melania Trump on her recent First Lady speech, we discussed many people who inspired her and messages she wanted to share with the American people. A person she has always liked is Michelle Obama. Over the phone, she read me some passages from Mrs. Obama's speech as examples. I wrote them down and later included some of the phrasing in the draft that ultimately became the final speech. I did not check Mrs. Obama's speeches. This was my mistake, and I feel terrible for the chaos I have caused Melania and the Trumps, as well as to Mrs. Obama. No harm was meant.

McIver wrote that she asked to put out a statement "because I did not like seeing the way this was distracting from Mr. Trump's historic campaign for president and Melania's beautiful message and presentation."

She concluded: "I apologize for the confusion and hysteria my mistake has caused. Today, more than ever, I am honored to work for such a great family. I personally admire the way Mr. Trump has handled this situation and I am grateful for his understanding."

Here's McIver's full letter: