As the evening wore on at Monday’s opening of the Republican National Convention, I worked on other problems and projects until I turned to my TV in the midst of ex-New York mayor Rudy Giuliani’s screaming and arm waving. His voice became more hysterical as he tore into President Obama and Hillary Clinton, the assigned targets of the evening.

I had never heard Melania Trump speak and I saw her dignified presence as a relief. My guess was that, besides revealing the “human side” of her husband, she was meant to symbolize another non-Hillary identity of the campaign. Her husband would later praise her with, “Her speech and demeanor were absolutely incredible,” never sensing that his last word would be literally more true than he imagined.

By midnight social media had spread the word that her text had been plagiarized, i.e., key passages were word-for-word from Michelle Obama’s address to the Democrats in 2008. The networks stayed up late to cover the story, re-broadcasting key passages: both praise the “integrity, compassion and intelligence” of their families, and say, “we treat people with respect…we pass our lessons to the next generation…we want our children to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements is in the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.”

Plagiarization is to present the work of another writer as your own by using the other’s words and not giving the credit to the original writer. It is a serious offense. If a student uses the results of another’s research in a term paper without crediting the real author, he will at least receive an F, the offense will be recorded in his file and another offense could lead to dismissal. A journalist who plagiarizes may be fired. An offending college president would have to apologize to the faculty. Offending historians live with spoiled reputations.

Mrs. Trump told a reporter earlier that she wrote her talk, “with some help.” New Jersey governor Chris Christie says it’s not plagiarism because only seven percent was stolen. So Monday night from midnight to 1:00 a.m., the TV pundits debated among themselves while the Trump campaign ducked the problem. But one thing was clear. The responsible person—the one who inserted Michelle Obama’s material into Mrs. Trump’s speech— should quit or be fired immediately.

So far no one has taken responsibility.* Why does this matter? Because it reveals how Donald Trump deals with a problem. He hides. So far, by his silence, he has allowed the responsibility to fall upon his wife, as if she herself had stolen Michelle Obama’s ideas and words. Throughout the campaign the most consistent criticism of Mr. Trump by respected journalists and critics is that he frequently lies. To some observers this reveals Mr. Trump’s inability to talk about his character or anything private. Paul Manafort, the campaign’s chairman, tried to blame Hillary Clinton. The campaign’s co-chairman claimed a “person helping write it…plucked something in” and there was “an oversight,” and Melania “didn’t have anything to do with it.” Nevertheless both Mr. and Mrs. Trump knew those lines were there, and they were good lines, and they knew they didn’t write them.

According to today’s New York Times investigative report, Mrs. Trump herself, plus her personal advisers, totally revised the original draft by the assigned speechwriters. They obviously turned to other speeches by presidents’ wives. Whether Mrs. Trump herself or her consultant made the “Let’s use Michelle Obama” decision they do not say. To black Americans it is one more example of white people appropriating black accomplishments. So far, no one is being held responsible— which says a lot about this campaign.

Inevitably the problem has expanded. Mrs. Trump’s personal website claims she got her degree in design and architecture at the University in Slovenia. But a recent biography claims that she dropped out in one year. The people of the United States deserve to know who is talking to them; and until they are told, the smell of this controversy and the dishonesty it represents will foul the air. Mr. Trump’s praise that she is “incredible” seems so. It means “not to be believed.”

UPDATE, JULY 20, 9:23 p.m.: Wednesday afternoon’s apology by Melania Trump’s friend and speech writer Meredith McIver both half answers the question of “who dunnit” but reveals all the more the shallowness and confusion inside the campaign. We learn that Mrs. Trump “has always liked” Michelle Obama, so much so that she read her favorite Obama passages to Ms. McIver on the phone. The assistant did the obvious thing. She added them to the text. If only she had also added, “As Michelle Obama said in 2008” we would have no plagiarism controversy today and one member of the Trump family would appear broadminded and congenial. 

Raymond A. Schroth, S.J., is America’s literary editor.

* After this blog was written a Trump aide came forward and claimed responsibility for taking remarks from Mrs. Obama’s speech.  

Son of Raymond A. Schroth, of Trenton, N. J., a World War I hero and editorial writer and reporter for the Trenton Times, Brooklyn Eagle and New York Herald Tribune for over 40 years, and of Mildred (Murphy) Schroth, of Bordentown, N. J., a teacher in the Trenton public and Catholic school systems, Raymond A. Schroth, S.J., has spent his life as a Jesuit, journalist, and teacher.

After graduating from Fordham College in 1955--where he majored in American civilization, studied in Paris, and was editorial editor of the Fordham Ram--he served as an antiaircraft artillery officer in Germany for two years and joined the Society of Jesus in 1957. Ordained a priest in 1967, he obtained his PhD in American Thought and Culture at the George Washington University and taught journalism at Fordham until 1979. During that time he was also associate and book editor of Commonweal magazine.

After two years as academic dean of Rockhurst College in Kansas City, he became academic dean of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. In 1985-86 he held the Will and Ariel Durant Chair in the Humanities at Saint Peter's College in Jersey City. From 1986 to 1996 he taught journalism at Loyola University in New Orleans and was adviser to the Maroon, its award-winning newspaper. In 1995 the Southeast Journalism Conference named him Journalism Educator of the year. In 1996 he returned to Fordham as assistant dean of Fordham College Rose Hill and director of the Matteo Ricci Society, which prepares students to compete for prestigious fellowships. Meanwhile, from 1967 he served as a resident faculty member in the student residence halls.

He has published eight books, including: The Eagle and Brooklyn: A Community Newspaper (Greenwood); Books for Believers: 35 Books Every Catholic Should Read (Paulist); with Jeff Theilman, Volunteer: with the Poor in Peru (Paulist); and The American Journey of Eric Sevareid (Steerforth), a biography of the CBS commentator.

In 1999 he moved to Saint Peter's College, where he wrote two books: From Dante to Dead Man Walking: One Person's Journey through Great Religious Literature and Fordham: A History and Memoir, (Loyola Press in 2001-2002). In 2000 Saint Peter's College named him the Jesuit Community Professor in the Humanities. In Spring 2003 he was made editor of the national Jesuit university review, Conversations and will continue to serve in this position until 2013. His The American Jesuits: A History, (New York University Press, 2007), was followed by Bob Drinan: The Controversial Life of the First Catholic Priest Elected to Congress, (Fordham University Press, 2010). He taught a graduate journalism course at NYU in 2004 and journalism history at Brooklyn College in 2006.

In recent summers he has traveled to Gabon, South Africa, Peru, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, France, Thailand, Vietnam, Cuba, Indonesia, the Czech Republic, and China to educate himself, write articles, and take pictures. In 2003 his National Catholic Reporter media essays won the Catholic Press Association's best cultural columnist award. His over 300 articles on politics, religion, the media, and literature have appeared in many publications, including the Columbia Journalism Review, Commonweal, America, the New York Times Book Review, the Los Angeles Times, New York Newsday, Kansas City Star, Boston Globe and the Newark Star Ledger, where he was a weekly online columnist for several years. From time to time he lectures and appears on radio and TV. He is listed in Who's Who and Contemporary Authors. In his free time he swims, bikes, walks, reads, goes to movies and restaurants, and prays.