Donald Trump Attacks Trump University Judge Over Mexican Heritage
Donald Trump has ratcheted up his assault against U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, arguing that the man set to hear his Trump University fraud case has "an absolute conflict" in hearing the case because of his "Mexican heritage."
To date, the judge has refused to dismiss a pair of civil lawsuits lodged against the presumptive Republican nominee for president. Both suits allege officials at Trump University tricked students into investing tens of thousands of dollars into courses billed as offering the secrets of Trump's real estate mogul success.
The judge recently unsealed hundreds of pages of documents pertaining to the dealings of the for-profit university, which was essentially forced to shutter its doors in 2010.
Trump U Officials had Playbooks to Upsell Students
Among the documents released were playbooks instructing school reps on the best ways to persuade students who couldn't afford the courses to sign up for them anyway.
In his latest rant, Trump insists Curiel's Mexican heritage is relevant because of the candidate's vowed stance against immigration and his pledge to deport millions of immigrants and build a wall along the Mexican border.
"I'm building a wall," Trump said. "It's an inherent conflict of interest."
During previous campaign stops, Trump has blasted Mexican immigrants as criminals and charged them with "bringing drugs, bringing crime, they're rapists."
As for the University, Trump insists he has every intention of reopening the school once his legal woes have ended.
"After the litigation is disposed of and the case won, I have instructed my execs to open Trump U.," Trump recently posted on social media. "So much interest in it. I will be pres."
Not long before, Trump branded Curiel "a hater" and a "total disgrace." He went on to insist the judge should disqualify himself from the case because of his connections to a lawyer of one of the litigants.
All Trump's fiery words about the judge did not sit well with campaign leaders for Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.
"Judge Curiel and his family epitomize the American Dream," Hillary for America Director of Latino Outreach Lorella Praeli said in a statement. "His parents worked hard to give their U.S.-born children a better life. He and his brother became successful lawyers. His other brother served in Vietnam. The fact that Donald Trump doesn't see Judge Curiel and his family as Americans makes him unfit to be president of this great nation, a nation of immigrants."
Fights Break out at San Jose Rally
Meanwhile, fights broke out following a recent Trump rally in San Jose, where his supporters and demonstrators violently clashed. Mayor Sam Liccardo later blasted Trump for igniting similar problems all across the country.
"At some point, Donald Trump needs to take responsibility for the irresponsible behavior of his campaign," he said.
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