Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus defended President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to settle fraud lawsuits surrounding Trump University, saying Trump wants to focus on his transition efforts without any distractions.
“When the presidency hits you, and it’s at your front door and you realize that you are the president of the United States for all Americans, there are some things that are important to you and some things that you decide, look, let’s move on,” Priebus, Trump’s soon-to-be chief of staff, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We’re not admitting wrongdoing, and let’s just start leading this country without distraction.”
Trump agreed to a $25 million settlement on Friday in response to lawsuits alleging the now-defunct Trump University defrauded former students of tens of thousands of dollars. As many as 6,000 people in three states will receive restitution, while $1 million will be paid to New York state for violating education laws.
“I think that Americans should look at this as a real positive sign about what kind of great president he is going to be, and how he wants to lead this country,” Priebus said of the settlement.
—Andrew Desiderio