Trump University Staff included at least four felons, including staffers convicted of drug trafficking and child molestation, according to the Associated Press Today.
Donald Trump says he hand-picked only the best to teach success at Trump University. But dozens of those hired by the company had checkered pasts — including serious financial problems and even convictions for cocaine trafficking or child molestation, an Associated Press investigation has found.
The AP investigation should make things difficult for Trump in his upcoming civil trial concerning the operations of the “University” and it should make things complicated on the campaign trail, as he has bragged that he would, as President, run the nation like he does his businesses. His staff was appropriately suited for the Trump U, a long-con operation that sold course packages for as much as $35,000.
Some names from the surveys were too common to narrow down to individuals, but AP used online resumes, court filings and other public records to piece together detailed background checks on 68 former Trump staffers. The results could complicate Trump's legal defense that his Trump University "apprentices" got the top-flight instructors and mentors they paid for.
Half the 68 former faculty and staff identified by AP had personal bankruptcies, foreclosures, credit card defaults, tax liens or other indicators of significant money troubles prior to teaching Trump University courses promoting "wealth building" and "how to invest like a billionaire," according to AP's review. Many of those hired to teach did not have college degrees and were not licensed to broker real estate.
At least four had felony convictions.
Staff included Ron P. Broussard Jr. who was hired to conduct at least five seminars titled “Fast Track to Foreclosure” despite the fact that was never a real estate agent or a broker. However, he was convicted at court-martial in the 90s for sodomy and indecent acts with an eight-year-old child. In a 2005 video to students, Trump said he personally vetted the faculty he hired to run the university.
"At Trump University we teach success. That's what it's all about. Success. It's going to happen to you," Trump said in a promotional video, looking intently into the camera. "We're going to have professors and adjunct professors that are absolutely terrific — terrific people, terrific brains, successful. We are going to have the best of the best. ... These are all people that are hand-picked by me."