Donald Trump has responded to a $40 million suit alleging that the "Trump University" run by the mogul and reality TV star tricked students into taking expensive and useless seminars while failing to deliver promised internships by saying that the state was "trying to extort me with a civil lawsuit," according to the BBC.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman alleges in the suit that many of the 5,000 students enrolled in the program, at prices up to $35,000, didn't even get a chance to meet the man himself. Instead they were given a photo-op with a life size picture of Trump, according to the Associated Press.
"Trump University engaged in deception at every stage of consumers' advancement through costly programs and caused real financial harm," Schneiderman said. "Trump University, with Donald Trump's knowledge and participation, relied on Trump's name recognition and celebrity status to take advantage of consumers who believed in the Trump brand."
Trump appeared on Fox News' "Fox & Friends" to refute the allegations.
"He [Schneiderman] sits up in my office asking me for campaign contributions, he's been there numerous times," Trump said. "He's a political hack. He figures by going after Trump, he can get some publicity, which he will get, but we'll try and make it uncomfortable as possible."
It is true that Schneiderman has asked Trump for campaign contributions in the past, the conservative real estate mogul donated $12,500 to the Democrat's campaign in 2010, according to the Associated Press.
"The attorney general has been angry because he felt that Mr.Trump and his various companies should have done much more for him in terms of fundraising," Michael Cohen, Trump's attorney, told the Associated Press. "This entire investigation is politically motivated and it is a tremendous waste of taxpayers' money."
In his appearance on "Fox & Friends" Trump suggested that President Barack Obama might be the source of the suit. Trump has clashed with the president multiple times; while toying with the idea of running for president in 2012 Trump was outspoken in his demands that President Obama release his birth certificate. Trump suggests that a meeting between President Obama and Schneiderman was designed to plan the suit, according to Politico.
"They meet on Thursday evening. I get sued by this A.G. Schneiderman, I get sued on Saturday at one o'clock," Trump said. "Think of it. What government agency in the history of this country has ever brought a suit on a Saturday?
"They obviously did it very quickly, but probably Obama - maybe this is a mini IRS," Trump continued. "Maybe we have to get the Tea Party after these people because this could very well be a mini IRS."
Schneiderman says that the lawsuit was brought as part of a crackdown on for-profit schools that mislead students in the state of New York. Schneiderman also said that he did meet with the president although the suit was not brought up, according to Politico.
"The president and I had much more important stuff to talk about than Donald Trump," Schneiderman said. "[The president] was giving a speech about education in Syracuse about affordability. I've never discussed Donald Trump with the president."
