Washington, D.C. – Tomorrow, Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a rally with Florida Governor Rick Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi in Tampa. Bondi, who dropped a lawsuit against Trump University after soliciting and then accepting $25,000 in donations from Trump’s Foundation, claimed she did not know Floridians filed complaints with her office after being ripped off by Trump University and its affiliates. And Governor Rick Scott? He is considered “the ultimate Medicare thief.”
“It’s no surprise that Trump is campaigning with two of Florida’s most fraudulent elected officials,” said Brad Woodhouse, President of Correct The Record. “Despite potentially violating federal law, Trump bought and paid for Bondi’s support, and the Attorney General’s actions make it clear that she is willing to ignore her duty to protect consumers in order to line her pockets. It only makes sense that Trump would also have the support of Governor Scott, who oversaw one of the largest cases of health care fraud, exploiting both the government and patients. Sound familiar? Oh, yeah. Just like Donald Trump’s corrupt Trump U scheme to prey upon working families, defrauding them of thousands for nothing but to fatten his wallet. Americans cannot afford elected leaders who take advantage of their constituents, which is why America cannot afford Donald Trump as president.”
More on the House of Frauds:
PAM BONDI
Pam Bondi’s office decided not to sue Donald Trump shortly after she personally solicited a political donation from him
Pam Bondi personally solicited a political contribution from Donald Trump shortly before her attorney general’s office dropped a potential lawsuit against Trump University. “Florida’s attorney general personally solicited a political contribution from Donald Trump around the same time her office deliberated joining an investigation of alleged fraud at Trump University and its affiliates The new disclosure from Attorney General Pam Bondi’s spokesman to The Associated Press on Monday provides additional details around the unusual circumstances of Trump’s $25,000 donation to Bondi. The money came from a Trump family foundation in apparent violation of rules surrounding political activities by charities. A political group backing Bondi’s re-election, called And Justice for All, reported receiving the check Sept. 17, 2013 — four days after Bondi’s office publicly announced she was considering joining a New York state probe of Trump University’s activities, according to a 2013 report in the Orlando Sentinel. After the check came in, Bondi’s office nixed suing Trump, citing insufficient grounds to proceed.”
Other state attorneys general were less charitable towards Trump University
New York’s attorney general: Trump University “was clearly a way to separate people who were desperate to make money in hard economic times from their own cash and to get it into the pocket of Mr. Trump and his cronies.” “Schneiderman told ABC News that he is not worrying about the confluence of the campaign and his case. The documents, he said, only served to offer further proof that the operation was aimed less at teaching students the skills needed to buy and sell real state and more about making money for Trump. ‘It was clearly a way to separate people who were desperate to make money in hard economic times from their own cash and to get it into the pocket of Mr. Trump and his cronies,’ Schneiderman said.”
- New York State found Donald Trump “personally liable for running an unlicensed school.” “And in a suit brought by the State of New York, a trial court found Trump was personally liable for running an unlicensed school and must pay restitution to approximately 800 consumers nationwide who took courses after May 31, 2010 from the Trump Entrepreneur Initiative (formerly known as Trump University).”
Texas’ attorney general: Trump University made promises to students that were “virtually impossible to achieve.” “The Texas Attorney General’s Office opened a deceptive trade practices investigation of Trump University in 2010 and chased the business out of the state, saying the promises made to students were ‘virtually impossible to achieve,’ according to documents unearthed by a Democratic super PAC. Assistant Attorney General Rick Berlin wrote to Donald Trump’s lawyers in June 2010 that Trump University seminars – for which students paid thousands of dollars – were targeted at real estate novices and promised ‘to teach these novices everything they need to know to be a successful residential real estate broker — in 3 days.’ But in Texas, ‘to become licensed as a real estate broker you must have 900 hours of classroom instruction and 2 years selling experience,’ Berlin said, in the memo the Democratic super PAC American Bridge 21st Century uncovered through a public records request and provided to USA TODAY. The information given to students by Trump University ‘is essentially unusable,’ and students ‘will be unable to recoup their investment in the course, much less make a profit, as promised by Trump U,’ Berlin wrote.”
RICK SCOTT
Rick Scott led a company that committed what was the largest case of Medicare fraud in the nation’s history
Rick Scott oversaw what was at the time the largest Medicare fraud in history. “The Florida Democratic Party said Scott ‘oversaw the largest Medicare fraud in the nation’s history.’ The Columbia/HCA settlement has since been surpassed in dollar value, though the bigger cases involved Medicare somewhat less directly. Because the Democratic Party could have been a bit more specific in its wording — by saying that Scott oversaw the largest Medicare fraud at the time — we rate the claim Mostly True.”
A former employee alleged that Rick Scott “was the leader of a criminal enterprise” and that his “company hurt seniors, it hurt taxpayers, it hurt everyone.” “‘There is no doubt in my mind that Rick Scott was the leader of a criminal enterprise,’’ said John Schilling, a former HCA accountant who worked with the FBI in 1996 through 2003, at a press conference organized by the Charlie Crist campaign. […] ‘The fraud at Rick Scott’s company hurt seniors, it hurt taxpayers, it hurt everyone,’’ Schilling said Monday, as he read from a statement. ‘It was stealing from the American taxpayers and eroding the Medicare program designed to care for the elderly. ’He likes to say he wasn’t questioned but I am a witness and I was an FBI informant. Fraud was in the DNA of Rick Scott’s company from the very beginning and he was the father.’”
Rick Scott admitted that he “was in charge and even questioned by authorities.” “‘The McCollum crowd says the hospital company I started was fined by the government the Medicare fraud. Unfortunately that’s true.’ Scott said in the 2010 television ad dubbed ‘Truth’ and is available here. ‘I was in charge and even questioned by authorities. But that’s not what matters. What matters is that the company made mistakes and as CEO I take responsibility and learn from it.’”
Rick Scott’s company committed fraud that led to 14 criminal convictions and $1.7 billion in fines for fraudulent Medicare overpayment. “The ultimate settlement led 14 criminal convictions and Columbia/HCA forfeiting $1.7 billion in fines for fraudulent Medicare overpayments. The fraud included ‘several types of fraud under Rick Scott’s leadership,’’ he said. The fraud included: cost report fraud, physician kickback fraud, upcoding on inpatient emissions, upcoding on lab procedures and inappropriate lab and in-home visits.”
Rick Scott received campaign donations from Donald Trump
Donald Trump has donated at least $100,000 to Rick Scott’s political committee. “Now Donald Trump has emerged as the clear frontrunner, and — surprise! — he is building a Florida team dominated by strong Rick Scott loyalists: Susie Wiles, Scott’s former campaign manager, is on board. So is Sarasota GOP Chairman Joe Gruters, an early Scott endorser in 2010 whom the governor appointed to FSU’s board of trustees in 2011. Scott surely appreciates that Trump has donated at least $100,000 to his political committee.”