Trump U A “Fraudulent Scheme,” Say Former Employees

Trump University, the for-profit school founded by presumptive Republican nominee for President Donald Trump, “was a fraudulent scheme,” one former sales manager said in scathing testimony made public this week. Specifically, Ronald Schnackenberg said, the now-defunct school “preyed upon the elderly and uneducated to separate them from their money.” Former students of the school filed suit in 2010, claiming it made made false promises and misled students about the value of the courses, which could cost as much as $35,000. The school’s sales staff was instructed to encourage prospective students to sign up for classes they could not afford, and to open credit cards to pay for it if necessary, court documents show. One pitch recommended to sales personnel claimed that Trump would be “actively involved” in their education. “This was not true,” Jason Nicholas, a sales executive, said in testimony. At a campaign stop this week, Trump questioned the judge overseeing the lawsuit, calling Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel a “hater,” and saying he believes Curiel (an Indiana native) is “we believe Mexican.”