Trump calls AG “political hack” over university lawsuit

Donald Trump fired back at New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman after the regulator filed a lawsuit claiming Trump University had scammed students out of $40 million, calling him a “political hack.”

Trump appeared on “Today” and “Good Morning America” to defend his namesake school, which he said holds “a 98 percent approval rating among students.” The lawsuit filed Saturday accuses the billionaire of defrauding more than 5,000 people through the school.

It alleges that Trump University ran ads with Trump’s photo and signature offering free workshops, when the free seminars were often just pitches to get people to sign up for a $1,495 three-day seminar, as previously reported.

Michael Cohen, Trump’s attorney, claims Schneiderman was upset he did not receive more campaign donations from Trump. Trump said in television interviews he met with students and picked instructors despite the lawsuit’s claims he did not. Schneiderman did not comment to the Associated Press.

“I was totally involved to a very high degree,” Trump said. “I told people what to do, and if they had listened to me, it would have made a lot of money.” [AP via WSJ] — Mark Maurer