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Trump University model: Sell hard, demand to see a warrant

FILE- In this May 23, 2005, file photo, Donald Trump, left, listens as Michael Sexton introduces him at a news conference in New York where he announced the establishment of Trump University. The manual for Trump University events was precise: the room temperature should be 68 degrees. Seats should be arranged in a theater-style curve. And staff should only provide records to an attorney general if compelled by subpoena. Instructing employees how to stall law enforcement investigations might seem like an unusual part of running a seminar company, but at Trump University it was par for the course. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File) FILE- In this May 23, 2005, file photo, Donald Trump, left, listens as Michael Sexton introduces him at a news conference in New York where he announced the establishment of Trump University. The manual for Trump University events was precise: the room temperature should be 68 degrees. Seats should be arranged in a theater-style curve. And staff should only provide records to an attorney general if compelled by subpoena. Instructing employees how to stall law enforcement investigations might seem like an unusual part of running a seminar company, but at Trump University it was par for the course. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

By Associated Press June 2, 2016 1 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – Once-confidential manuals for Donald Trump’s one-time real estate business show the business encouraged high-pressure sales tactics and recognized it faced legal risks.

A judge unsealed the documents earlier this week as part of a class action lawsuit filed by former students of Trump University, Trump’s real estate seminar company. The manuals call into question Trump’s portrayal of his one-time real estate seminar course as an uncontroversial operation focused on helping aspiring investors. The guides encourage aggressive sales tactics and also advise staff on how to deal with prosecutors investigating Trump’s business.

Trump University stopped operating in 2011. In addition to litigation brought by New York, the Republican attorney general in Texas also investigated Trump University, ultimately dropping the probe in exchange for its promise to cease operating in the state.