Whitaker asked a disgruntled website to delete articles about the patent company

Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, right, addresses state and local law enforcement officials at the US Attorney General's Office in South Iowa on Wednesday, November 14, 2018. Des Moines, Iowa.

In early 2015, an anonymous comment accusing a Florida company of being a scam was posted on a consumer website called RipoffReport.com.

Around this time, the publication's phone rang. The interlocutor said it was Matthew Whitaker, now Acting Attorney General, and that he was angry, said Ed Magedson, owner of Ripoff Report. Using profanity, Whitaker called for the removal of all negative reports about the company, World Patent Marketing Inc., said Magedson.

"It has threatened me to use foul language," said Magedson, who added that he had reviewed the notes he had taken at the time. "He threatened to ruin my business if I did not withdraw the reports. he [said he] that the government is closing me under an internal security act. "

The Ripoff report itself was the subject of criticism, its critics claiming that it had taken advantage of the negative information posted on its website.

Since President Trump appointed Mr. Whitaker last week, the Acting Attorney General was questioned about his involvement in World Patent Marketing, where he was a paid member of the advisory board until at least 2016. The company was shut down last year by the Federal Trade Commission after accusing the company of having cheated $ 26 million.

Mr. Magedson's threatening phone call suggests that Mr. Whitaker has played a more active role than the one known to protect patent marketing from outside criticism. He also wrote an email from August 2015 threatening a dissatisfied customer, according to court documents.

The appeal also suggests that Mr. Whitaker was aware of allegations of fraudulent activities against the company, which the FTC subsequently confirmed in his charges.

On Wednesday, leading Democrats in the House of Representatives, who will take control of the chamber in January, sent letters to Whitaker, the FTC, founder of World Patent Marketing, and others to ask for more. information on Mr. Whitaker's role.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice said, "Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker said he was not aware of fraudulent activities. All stories suggesting the opposite are false. "

On Wednesday, the Justice Department refused to make a new comment and referred to the previous statement.

World Patent Marketing, which began in early 2014 and was managed by Miami Beach, Florida, proposed to patent and promote the ideas of potential inventors. The FTC said the company had delivered little and threatened customers who complained.

Ripoff Report, of Tempe, Arizona, allows people to post anonymous complaints against companies on its website. He has often been prosecuted and accused of taking advantage of negative reports by offering a paid service to repair the damage done to his reputation. Mr. Magedson said his company was trying to verify some of the comments and was helping companies provide better customer service.

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