2016 Presidential Race: Republican Sen. Marco Rubio Accepted More Than $27,000 From For-Profit Corinthian Colleges
Over the last five years, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., received $27,600 in contributions from Corinthian Colleges, a for-profit college that closed its doors earlier this year after a federal investigation found it had engaged in "predatory" practices.
Rubio, who is running in the 2016 presidential election, has supported other for-profit colleges in addition to Corinthian Colleges throughout his career.
The most recent donation that the Florida senator received from the college was filed with the Federal Election Commission for $2,700 on April 30, Bloomberg reported. It was donated by Mark Pelesh, who is listed as a "business executive" for Corinthian Colleges.
The U.S. Department of Education stated it would fine Corinthian Colleges for misleading students before the campus shutdown in April once it was discovered that it had falsified post-graduation statistics.
Last year, Rubio sent a letter requesting that the U.S. Department of Education exercise "leniency" on Corinthian Colleges and allow it to continue receiving federal aid while it was under investigation.
"While I commend the Department's desire to protect our nation's students from fraudulent and malicious activity by any institution of higher education, regardless of tax status, I believe the Department can and should demonstrate leniency as long as Corinthian Colleges, Inc. continues to expeditiously and earnestly cooperate by providing the documents requested," read the letter.
Last April, the chain received a $30 million fine for misrepresenting grades, attendance and job placement data of its students. The chain was also forced to shut down its campuses, displacing around 16,000 students across the country.
Before it shut down, records show that Corinthian Colleges had made three installments of $5,000 from 2011 to 2013 to Rubio's Reclaim America PAC, according to the Sunlight Foundation. In addition, Corinthian gave $9,900 to the Republican politician while he was running for Senate during the 2009-2010 cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
According to a 2012 Senate report, many institutions within the for-profit college industry have poor graduation rates, high tuition costs and a deficiency in student support services, despite the fact that they target students from low-income communities.
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