Whitaker's Ascent at the Department of Justice Investigators surprised by the firm accused of fraud

WASHINGTON – While lawyers at the Federal Trade Commission were investigating a Miami company accused of defrauding thousands of customers, they were stunned to learn last year of the latest deal. a new job for a character in their investigation, Matthew G. Whitaker: He had been appointed chief of staff of Attorney General Jeff Sessions

"You will not believe that … Matt Whitaker is now chief of Attorney General's office. From the United States, James Evans, an F.T.C. lawyer, wrote to colleagues in an e-mail on October 24, 2017.

E-mails were part of a multitude of files that the Commerce Committee made public Friday in response to requests for documents regarding its investigation into the company related to the Freedom of Information Act, Global Patent Marketing. Mr. Whitaker sat on his advisory board.

In early November, President Trump sacked Mr. Sessions and installed Mr. Whitaker as Acting Attorney General. His appointment prompted an immediate outcry, in part because Mr. Whitaker had strongly criticized the Special Advocate's investigation into Russia's interference in the elections and its possible links with Mr. Trump's associates. he now oversees as the country's top law enforcement official. Democrats have expressed concern and promised to investigate Whitaker when they reach the House of Representatives in January

Long before most Americans heard of Mr. Whitaker, the Federal Commission Trade had closely examined its relationship with World Patent Marketing. The company had promised lucrative patent deals to investors, but would have scammed them shamelessly, according to the agency. Her investigation prompted a federal judge to shut down the company in March 2017, after which she was fined nearly $ 26 million.

Whitaker served on the company's advisory board from 2014 to 2017 and played a pivotal role in his marketing program, revealed recently disclosed records. He received nearly $ 10,000

. The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment on the F.T.C. Kerri Kupec, a spokeswoman for the department, said that "Acting Attorney General, Matt Whitaker, said he was unaware of any fraudulent activity." All the stories that suggest the opposite is wrong. "On Friday, representatives Jerrold Nadler and Elijah E. Cummings, Democratic Presidents of the Judiciary and House Oversight Committees, said Mr. Whitaker had pledged to testify before the judicial panel to a "mutually acceptable meeting". date "next month.

million. Whitaker has tried to play down his role with World Patent Marketing. He told the commercial investigator, Mr. Evans, that he "acted as an outside counsel from time to time" for the company and had never sent him e-mail or write to customers, depending on the files. Mr. Whitaker stated that he had never attended a meeting and that he had traveled only once to Miami for a visit and a dinner, and that He called it a waste of time.

But the recently disclosed documents help to better understand. the origins and nature of Whitaker's involvement in the company – including the short time it took to evaluate the proposals of its chairman, Scott Cooper, regarding the work that 39, he wanted Mr. Whitaker to accomplish.

Records, for example, indicate that Mr. Cooper first suggested to Mr. Whitaker that he wanted his "advice on any regulatory matter". On October 15, 2014, Mr. Cooper proposed to Mr. Whitaker to serve on the World Patent Marketing Advisory Board in exchange for $ 1,875 per quarter, plus the promise of a free trip to Miami Beach per year for a meeting. annual.

Whitaker did not hesitate to weigh in his offer: "Yes, that interests me", he answered a few hours later, then he signed and returned the agreement the next day.

Soon, Mr. Cooper expressed his interest in using Mr. Whitaker's previous documents. role of American lawyer in Iowa to give credibility to the company. Mr. Whitaker has it again.

On November 17, 2014, about a month after signing the membership document to the advisory committee, Mr. Cooper wrote, "Hey Matt, any interest in appearing in a national TV commercial for us. on CNN? We can find compensation later … "

Ninety-one minutes later, Mr. Whitaker replied," Sure. "

. Cooper seemed to want to take advantage of Mr. Whitaker's willingness to lend his reputation to the companies of the company. Four days after the announcement, for example, Mr. Cooper sent an email to a Web company including the following subject line: "Let's build a Wikipedia page and use Whitaker to make it credible."

Many recently disclosed pages consist of marketing materials, including several scenarios featuring Mr. Whitaker.

In the summer of 2015, Mr. Cooper went further. He proposed that Mr. Whitaker personally engage in a dispute with a man who was apparently a former employee displeased with Mr. Cooper in a different company. The man had threatened to complain about him and World Patent Marketing to the Better Business Bureau.

On the afternoon of August 21, 2015, Mr. Cooper sent a ghost-written letter to Mr. Whitaker. the complainant, relying on his status as a former federal prosecutor and member of the firm's advisory council and threatening the man with "grave civil and criminal consequences" for what he suggested amounted to blackmail or extortion.

Whitaker made some minor changes to the draft and pressed Send. In all, he had spent about six minutes receiving the proposed draft and interfering directly with the dispute, as Mr. Cooper had hoped.

This email from Mr. Whitaker was subsequently part of the dispute over World Patent. Marketing, and was quoted as a message that he sent to one of the company's clients in news articles in recent weeks on how his business with the company today defended accused his appointment as Acting Attorney General.

The investigators of the Federal Trade Commission were. Last fall, they were immersed in such exchanges when they summoned Mr. Whitaker's former law firm on October 5, 2017, and attempted to contact him to explain to him why he was not reacting – while he was hired as Chief of Staff Mr. Sessions. But the agency was not aware of his fortune.

Among the files released on Friday, there was an email and a voice mail addressed to Mr. Whitaker by Mr. Evans, in which he noted that this was his second attempt to reach him. Whitaker Mr. Evans stated that he needed four or five minutes of Mr. Whitaker on the phone to discuss his relationship with World Patent Marketing.

A second voice message made public was Mr. Whitaker's response to Mr. Evans. He said he had not been aware of the subpoena before, and then shared his news: "I am now in the Department of Justice here in Washington, DC, as Chief of Staff of the Attorney General. . So I want to be very helpful. "

million. Evans was stunned. He wrote his email to colleagues expressing his shock – "you will not believe that" – and joined a voice message, apparently that of Mr. Whitaker.

Three minutes later, Mr. Evans sent a follow-up email message containing a link to a HuffPost article from September 22, 2017 on the announcement of Mr. Whitaker's appointment to the post of Mr. Sessions' Chief of Staff. The article focused on the many statements by Mr. Whitaker denigrating the inquiry of the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III.