"Math Ain't Mathin": Why Melania Trump's 'Einstein Visa' Was Questioned

Jasmine Crockett, a Democratic congresswoman launched an attack on the First Lady of the United States Melania Trump during Wednesday's meeting of the House judiciary committee. She said that the First Lady should not have been given an "Einstein visa" to immigrate to the US in 2001.

"The first lady, a model - and when I say model I'm not talking about Tyra Banks, Cindy Crawford or Naomi Campbell-level - applied for and was given an EB-1 visa," she said.

The EB-1 visa, colloquially known as the "Einstein Visa", is reserved for people with extraordinary talent, applicants who are highly acclaimed in their field. According to the government, Pulitzer, Oscar, and Olympic winners are examples, apart from academic researchers and multinational executives.

Mrs Trump started applying for the visa in 2000, when she was Melania Knauss, a Slovenian model working in New York. She was the girlfriend of US President Donald Trump, at the time. Her visa was approved in 2001 and after becoming a citizen in 2006, she earned the right to sponsor her parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs.

Amid Mr Trump's strict immigration policies, the attack stands out ironically. Ms Crockett highlighted the hypocrisy of Republicans in their treatment of Mrs Trump.

She continued, "Let me tell you how you receive an Einstein visa," she added.

"You're supposed to have some sort of significant achievement, like being awarded a Nobel Peace Prize or a Pulitzer, being an Olympic medallist, or having other sustained extraordinary abilities and success in sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics.

"Last time I checked, the first lady had none of those accolades under her belt. It doesn't take an Einstein to see that the math ain't mathin' here."

Calling out the President, she questioned, "Why aren't we talking about integrity when it comes to the president's family's visas?"

Taking a swipe at the First Lady, Alex Nowrasteh, vice president for economic and social policy studies at the Cato Institute, who also testified during the House hearing, said she deserved credit for marrying Mr Trump. "And I think that's quite an achievement, so I think she deserves credit for that. Nobody up here could have done it!" she said. 

Ms Crockett compared the current situation in the United States where individuals are being arrested at US immigration or citizenship appointments. "The reality of what they're claiming they want to do vs what they are actually doing, the actions don't match up," she said.

She launched a tirade and said that the idea that the Republicans want to restore integrity and security in the visa process is "actually a joke". "Let me be clear: Integrity is not snatching lawful visa holders off the streets and throwing them into unmarked vans. Integrity is not invoking visas based on social media posts that hurt somebody's little feelings", she continued.

However, US visa lawyer Susan McFadden at the Gudeon and McFadden law firm in London told BBC in 2018 that an individual does not need to have a Nobel Prize to receive the Einstein visa. She said, "An experienced lawyer knows what the US citizenship and immigration services is looking for, and how to bring out of the client's background things that will be attractive to the agency."

"And I'm sure she probably had some pretty significant letters, maybe from Donald Trump," McFadden added.