Mitch PerryThere are now calls for an independent investigation into Pam Bondi‘s decision not to investigate consumer complaints against Trump University, the for-profit education company created by Donald Trump that ran a real estate training program from 2005 until at least 2010 — and not just from Democrats.
“Attorney General Pam Bondi owes Floridians a full accounting of her office’s investigation of fraud allegations against Trump University and her acceptance of a $25,000 campaign contribution from a Trump-backed charity,” said Liza McClenaghan, chair of Florida Common Cause. “If she can’t provide it — immediately — Gov. Rick Scott should appoint an independent investigator to do so.”
After several days of reports about Bondi’s office deciding not to pursue charges, coming around the time she received a $25,000 check from a Trump foundation in 2013, the Tampa native finally spoke out last night, saying that her office was never investigating Trump U.
The Associated Press reported on Monday that Bondi had “nixed” suing Trump. A spokesman for the AG has said that their office received “few complaints” about Trump U, and opted to let it go and allow the investigation by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman be the lead agent for disgruntled Trump U customers around the nation.
Although this story has been in the news for months (after Bondi endorsed Trump in Tampa back in March), it was Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell‘s recent piece that put it back on the front pages.
Maxwell received more than 8,400 pages of information from Bondi’s office on anything related to Trump U — he read by combing through the documents that in fact there had been 100 complaints from Floridians against the business.
Damningly, he also found that nobody in Bondi’s office seemed very interested in following up on those complaints.
And yes, this all happened at the same time that Bondi had requested and received that $25,000 contribution.
Bondi’s statement last night denied her office was ever investigating Trump U — that it’s inaccurate to say that it was, and the inference that the financial contribution to her made her office turn course is terribly inaccurate. So I guess the first question I would ask at a news conference is — why is it that you’re so quick to jump on lawsuits going after President Obama regarding the Clean Power act, the Affordable Care Act, or immigration, but not on a consumer affairs issue that affected your constituents?
In other news…
GOP Senate candidate Carlos Beruff visited Cuba in 2011 with members of a group actively trying to end the economic embargo against the Communist island.
An activist group is blasting Marco Rubio for blocking a Barack Obama judicial appointee — and someone initially commended by the Florida senator himself.
Kathy Castor decides to endorse early in a Tampa City Council election that officially hasn’t been declared yet.
Dwight Dudley can’t endorse since the state house Democrat is running for the judiciary in Pinellas County, but his wife can — and has .
An angry Rich Nugent is upset about a Daniel Webster mailer that depicts him and Webster together, saying it implies that he’s endorsing Webster when in fact he’s backing opponent Justin Grabelle.
If you’re interested in giving the Tampa Police Dept. feedback regarding, well anything, you’ve got two more chances this week to do so.
One comment
Frank Mirabella
June 8, 2016 at 7:29 am
I don’t see a problem. After all, it’s not like she deposited the contribution into her family’s foundation account. It’s amazing that some people are trying to sully up this women for accepting a $25,000 campaign contribution. At the same time, most of these same people are supporting another woman who deposited hundreds of millions of dollars in cash into her family’s foundation from countries she did business with while serving in public office at the Department of State. Tell me, how is this just not total intellectual dishonesty?
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