Donald Trump’s vendetta against Trump University Judge Gonazlo Curiel has attracted attention this week for its impact on the presidential campaign, but it seems Trump has been assailing Curiel for his “bias” since at least February.
Digging through his Tweets, Independent Journal Review editor Benny Johnson discovered video of Trump calling Curiel “Hispanic” and accusing Curiel of being unduly harsh on his team just before Super Tuesday.
My God.
This is Trump implying that the judge in the Trump U. case is against him because the judge is Hispanic. pic.twitter.com/lpjJJkOUqp— Benny (@bennyjohnson) February 27, 2016
Trump uses the same rhetoric he’s employed over the last week, calling the judge “Hispanic” and “Spanish,” implying that that colors the judge’s impartiality.
Like this week’s rants, Trump aired his “concerns” back in February right before a major hearing on his Trump University class action case. In early March, Curiel considered possible trial and hearing dates in Trump U cases, eventually setting them for this summer. (Donald, by the way, didn’t follow through with his threat to have Curiel disqualified.)
This means the Republicans, who appear so taken by surprise at Trump’s commentary, might have known what to expect had they just been listening intently before Super Tuesday. Thankfully, some Republicans are now rallying to Curiel’s defense.
Judge Curiel is an American hero who stood up to the Mexican cartels. I was proud to appoint him when I was Gov. https://t.co/ADLCBXw57Q
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) June 6, 2016
Given his history with drug cartels, Curiel seems uniquely able to stand up to Donald Trump. But can Republicans?
