Ann Coulter Gets A Vote Of Confidence

The syndicator of Ann Coulter's newspaper columns is rejecting allegations that she lifted material from other sources, saying a review of the work in question turned up nothing that merited concern.

"There are only so many ways you can rewrite a fact, and minimal matching text is not plagiarism," Lee Salem, editor and president of Universal Press Syndicate, said Monday in a statement.

"Universal Press Syndicate is confident in the ability of Ms. Coulter, an attorney and frequent media target, to know when to make attribution and when not to."

The New York Post and the Web sites Raw Story and the Rude Pundit have cited numerous passages in Coulter's syndicated columns and in her current book, "Godless," that appeared to resemble text from other sources. The Post relied upon a software program, iThenticate, designed to catch plagiarism.

Last week, the Crown Publishing Group, which released "Godless," also dismissed questions about Coulter's work, calling them "as trivial and meritless as they are irresponsible."

Coulter, a conservative known for her harsh rhetoric — she labeled four 9-11 widows "harpies" who exploited their husbands' deaths — has also written the best sellers "Treason" and "Slander." Her columns appear in more than 100 newspapers.