Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton issued one of her sharpest critiques yet of Donald Trump, calling him a “fraud” and accusing him of “trying to scam America.”
"He is trying to scam America the way he scammed all those people at Trump U," Clinton said while campaigning at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey, today.
Clinton is referring to Trump University, a now defunct seminar program started by the real estate mogul that is now the subject of litigation in New York and California alleging that the program cheated participants out of cash.
“Trump and his employees took advantage of vulnerable Americans, encouraging them to max out their credit cards, empty their retirement savings, destroy their financial futures, all while making promises they knew were false from the beginning,” Clinton said. “This is just more evidence that Donald Trump himself is a fraud.”
On Tuesday a 48-page document that had been entered into evidence was made public in a California class action lawsuit in which the plaintiffs have accused Trump University of being a sham. The report offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the venture was marketed. Plaintiffs say they were wooed to the school under false pretenses.
In court papers and on the campaign trail, Trump has repeatedly denied the allegations in the New York and California suits.
“It’s a very small case ... It’s not a big deal, and I will win it in court,” Trump has said of the New York case.
What Happens If Clinton Loses California Hillary Clinton Changing Her Schedule Before Tight California PrimaryEven so, the Clinton campaign has made clear that it plans to use Trump University as a line of attack throughout the campaign.
“Confident that voters don’t know enough about Trump U yet. So expect to hear quite a bit more from us on this topic,” Clinton communications director Jennifer Palmieri tweeted this morning.
Earlier, Clinton national press secretary Brian Fallon tweeted, “Rubio’s strongest moment was when he called Trump a con man based in part on Trump U. Rubio wasnt around long enough to make case. We will.”
Meanwhile, her campaign went on a tweet storm criticizing marketing language found in the document.
The tweets included, “Trump University employed instructors with no experience and lied to sell outrageously expensive packages. In a word: fraud” and “Trump University was a fraudulent scheme used to prey upon those who could least afford it.”
Trump said during a press conference yesterday at Trump Tower that he would prevail in court.
“And I’ll win the Trump University case,” he said. “I could settle that case ... I just choose not to.”