Clinton camp defends Hispanic judge in Trump U case

Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign is defending the Hispanic judge overseeing class-action lawsuits against Trump University.

“Judge [Gonzalo] Curiel and his family epitomize the American Dream,” said Lorella Praeli, Hillary for America’s director of Latino outreach, in a statement Friday.

{mosads}“His parents worked hard to give their U.S.-born children a better life. He and his brothers became successful lawyers. His other brother served in Vietnam.”

The Clinton camp released its statement in response to presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump criticizing the federal judge and questioning whether the Hispanic judge could be impartial. Trump has been a tough critic of illegal immigration from Mexico and vowed to build a wall along the U.S.’s southern border.

“The fact that Donald Trump doesn’t see Judge Curiel and his family as Americans makes him unfit to be president of this great nation, a nation of immigrants,” Praeli said. “In Trump’s version of America, this Latino family isn’t really American. But they are America. And Hillary Clinton will fight for all Americans.”

Trump last week questioned Curiel’s intentions, calling the judge “a hater” and arguing he was biased because he was appointed by President Obama.

Trump on Thursday also said Curiel’s heritage presented an “absolute conflict.”

“I’m building a wall,” he said. “It’s an inherent conflict of interest.”

Curiel on Tuesday unsealed 381 pages of documents relating to the legal challenges facing Trump University.

A trio of lawsuits allege the controversial for-profit real estate program defrauded participants and left them with crushing debt.

Trump has repeatedly touted positive reviews from students and insisted that the courts will clear him of any wrongdoing.

Hillary Clinton on Wednesday described the program as “a fraudulent scheme” that took advantage of unsuspecting participants.

The New York Department of Education shut down Trump University in 2011 amid scrutiny.