John Owens was the deputy chief of consumer protection for the state of Texas in 2010. Tasked with looking into complaints about Trump University, Owens found plenty to complain about. In fact, he was ready to take Donald Trump to court.
According to the documents provided by Owens, his team sought to sue Trump, his company and several business associates to help recover more than $2.6 million students spent on seminars and materials, plus another $2.8 million in penalties and fees.
But before the suit could go forward, Owens received some very unusual instructions. Unlike with any similar case, he was told to stop the suit.
Owens said he was so surprised at the order to stand down he made a copy of the case file and took it home.
"It had to be political in my mind because Donald Trump was treated differently than any other similarly situated scam artist in the 16 years I was at the consumer protection office," said Owens, who lives in Houston.
What kind of deal might have been struck that resulted in Owens finding the plug pulled and Texas consumers being left out in the cold?
The Associated Press first reported Thursday that Trump gave donations totaling $35,000 to Abbott's gubernatorial campaign three years after his office closed the Trump U case.
Bondi. Abbot.
Next?