Donald Trump: U.S. Judge Gonzalo Curiel 'Has Been Extremely Unfair... Because of the Wall'
Donald Trump is accusing a judge overseeing a case regarding the Trump University of being biased because of his Hispanic heritage.
The GOP frontrunner claimed that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel is biased because of his anti-immigrant rhetoric and his plan to build a wall between the United States and Mexico if he wins the presidency. Curiel, a U.S. judge since 2012, is currently overseeing a fraud lawsuit filed by former Trump University students, who swore that the school was a sham, according to Bloomberg.
Trump said that Curiel is "a very hostile judge," the news outlet reported. During a campaign rally on Saturday, the Republican presidential candidate said that he is considering of filing a motion to recuse the judge, Yahoo! News wrote.
While appearing on "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Trump was asked why he needs Curiel to be recused and how does his ethnicity factor into the issue. The business magnate replied, "Because I think he's been very, very unfair with us," as quoted by Yahoo! News.
Trump continued, "I think the judge has been extremely unfair. This is a case that many, many, many people said should have been thrown out on summary judgment. We have 98 percent approval. We have an A from the Better Business Bureau."
Accusations Against Trump
In October 2014, Trump's lawyer sought to recuse Curiel after the judge certified one of the cases as a class action lawsuit filed by past Trump University students, the news outlet further reported. This occurred long before Trump proposed his plan to build a wall separating the United States and Mexico.
Curiel obligated Trump to declare how much money he got from the university, Yahoo! News added. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a separate action that Trump's earnings totaled at $5 million.
The former students claimed that they were duped by the university when they paid real-estate seminars to receive "one-on-one mentorship, practical and fail-safe real estate techniques, a 'power team' consisting of real estate agents, lenders, personal finance managers, property managers and contractors," Bloomberg reported.
Trump defended his namesake university, saying that he "handpicked top people" who "did a good job and ran a good school," the news outlet noted. He also said that 98 percent of the students commended and approved the courses.
Trump also criticized Schneiderman, who in 2013 sued the candidate for fooling around 600 students to shell out thousands of dollars, according to NY Daily News. Schneiderman instantly fired back.
"I will not engage in a debate about ongoing litigation. But there is no place in this process for racial demagoguery directed at respected members of the judiciary," he said, as quoted by NY Daily News.