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Carol D. Leonnig
A National Investigative Reporter Focused on the White House and Government Accountability
Tom Hamburger
An Investigative Reporter S & # 39; is focused on the intersection of money and politics in Washington
Several months after joining the advisory board of a corporation Based in Miami in 2014, Matthew G. Whitaker began filing angry complaints from customers accused of fraud, including a client who had presented his office in Iowa. to appeal.
Yet Whitaker, now Acting Attorney General, remained an active advocate for World Patent Marketing for three years – even declaring himself willing to play in national TV commercials promoting the company, the book says. 19659006] Federal Trade Commission internal documents released Friday in response to a public registration request reveal the extent of Whitaker's support for World Patent Marketing, even barrage of warnings about the company's behavior .
The FTC eventually filed a lawsuit against World Patent Marketing, accusing it of misleading its customers and falsely promising that it would help them patent and profit from their inventions, according to court filings. The agency claimed that some customers had lost their savings.
In May of this year, a Florida federal court sentenced World Patent Marketing to pay a settlement of over $ 25 million and close the doors of his store. Society did not admit or deny wrongdoing
Whitaker, a former US lawyer, contributed little to the investigation. When the FTC summoned his files, he missed the response time. In a voicemail answering investigators' calls, Whitaker said he was happy to cooperate and stressed the important role he had just assumed in Washington.
"I did not know you had served a subpoena," Whitaker said in his October 2017 message, released by the FTC on Friday. "I am now at the Department of Justice, here in Washington, as the Chief of Staff of the Attorney General, so I want to be very helpful."
But Whitaker never provided any of his records, according to two familiar people. with the investigation. He told the FTC that most of his communications were privileged legal discussions because he provided legal advice to the founder of the company. According to the notes of an investigator, he had also played a minimal role in the company and "would have never personally said anything about the company".
A Whitaker spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. [19659013] Representative. Elijah E. Cummings, a senior Democrat and future chairman of the government's Oversight and House Reform Committee, said the records show that Whitaker was quickly alerted to the alleged fraud and should have taken action.
"These new documents suggest that Mr. Whitaker was personally aware of the fraud allegations of World Patent Marketing and his CEO at the same time he was receiving payments as a member of the Advisory Board," said Cummings. "If true, this is extremely disturbing and raises serious concerns about his suitability to be Acting Attorney General and to know if he has been duly considered for this crucial position."
Records show that Whitaker filed angry complaints against World Patent Marketing, beginning in April 2015. He seemed to pass them on to the founder of the company, Scott Cooper, without any further steps.
When a customer Whitaker complained by voicemail on May 29, 2015, Whitaker sent the message to Cooper, writing, "Another WPM customer reaching out to me." FYI. I do not have it. 39, intention to call back unless you wish Thank you, WM. "
A September 2016 e-mail from a person claiming to be a customer asked Whitaker for help.
" Dear Matthew, can you send a message to Scoot [sic] Cooper, "she asked. You are part of its advisory board, but you do not know how many people have been scammed by it, how fraudulent they are and how much money they have been stolen. I am not happy and would love to meet him in person and show him how upset I am.
The author ends up threatening physical violence against Cooper.
Whitaker forwarded the complaint to Cooper, according to the records.
"Scott, just pass that on," wrote Whitaker. "I hope everything is fine." MGW "
According to Cooper Records, the old Whitaker record as an American lawyer in Iowa was a major plus and was looking to use his background in giving credibility to his company
In November 2014, Cooper wrote to a web designer: "Let's build a Wikipedia page and use Whitaker to make it credible."
Cooper hoping to run commercials featuring Whitaker on CNN, the record show, it is unclear what happened to this plan, but Whitaker and Cooper explained how much Whitaker had to pay for it.
"I did not d & rsquo; Money in the lead, "wrote Whitaker to Cooper in December 2014. Does the talent of my type usually require it?"
Cooper repeatedly cited the role of Whitaker's attorney in marketing materials and For example, in an e-mail addressed to a Complaining on August 14, 2015, Cooper wrote:
"I copied my business lawyer, Bernie Egozi, and the former US attorney, Matthew G. Whitaker, who sat by chance at my advice this e-mail, because I am frankly confused by your behavior and it seems that you are trying to make me sing for something, "he wrote.
In December 2015, Cooper wrote to another complainant that he was copying Whitaker and pointed out that he was "a member of the board and a former US attorney." In the future, Cooper advised the complainant to "communicate directly with us two about this".
FTC officials were caught off guard when they learned that Trump had appointed Whitaker's acting attorney. The internal archives reveal that two days earlier, the general was preparing to respond to requests from the media.
Meanwhile, Justice and White House officials were surprised to learn that Whitaker was involved in such a questionable venture, according to people close to their
Whitaker's selection for the position employee was unusual. Sessions did not know Whitaker; It was recommended by the White House for this work after drawing the attention of the President on his public comments on CNN at the launch of the special investigator's investigation.
Cummings promised a more thorough investigation.
"Unfortunately, these documents are incomplete. and do not show the actions Mr. Whitaker took after he became aware of these concerns, "he said. "Congress needs all the documents to determine the extent of Mr. Whitaker's relationship with this company that has misled consumers and removed complaints."
Alice Crites and Anu Narayanswamy contributed to this report.
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