Donald Trump attacked the magistrate presiding over a class action lawsuit that alleges fraud at the former “Trump University,” accusing U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel of disgraceful conduct and stating that the judge is a “Mexican.”
Trump has referred previously to the ethnicity of the the judge, who was reportedly born in Indiana. But the renewed attack on Curiel is particularly striking, given that the judge recently accepted the real estate mogul’s request to delay the trial until Nov. 28, a few weeks after the election; the plaintiffs wanted to the case to play out in June.
“The judge, who happens to be, we believe, Mexican, which is great, I think that’s fine,” he said during the rally. “You know what? I think the Mexicans are going to end up loving Donald Trump when I give all these jobs, OK?” Trump blamed the existence of the case on political bias and accused Curiel of being “very hostile” towards him.
“Judges in this court system, federal court, they ought to look into Judge Curiel. Because what Judge Curiel is doing is a total disgrace, OK?” he said Friday.
Trump’s remarks Friday were in San Diego, the same city where the case will be heard.
Trump noted he might have to testify in the case after being elected president. “Wouldn’t that be wild if I’m president and I come back and do a civil case?” he told followers.
Trump University was a business in which the real estate mogul promised to impart his acument to attendees through a hand-picked team of instructors, but students claim that they paid exorbitant tuition for little training. A pair of lawsuits alleging fraud have been filed. The issue briefly appeared as an issue on the campaign trail, but Trump survived the political attacks.
“We have 10,000 surveys from former students giving Trump University rave reviews,” Trump said.
Trump’s opponents have built a case around the advertising for the university; the real estate mogul approved ads saying students would “learn from the master,” but he admitted in a deposition that he had nothing to do with selecting instructors or mentors for the program.
“If you sell someone a Volkswagen and tell them it’s a Rolls Royce, it really doesn’t matter if some people like their Volkswagen,” New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, a Democrat, told CNN. “It’s still fraud.”
