Matthew Whitaker served as the chief-of-staff for Jeff Sessions, who, until Wednesday, was the Attorney General of the United States. Now, Whitaker is the Acting AG until a new one is appointed. And as the acting attorney general, Whitaker is in charge of the department that is investigating a company Whitaker was previously involved with, according to the Huffington Post .
Per the Huffington Post , Whitaker received a payment of over $9,000 from a company named World Patent Marketing, Inc. in 2014. As a former U.S. attorney in Iowa, he was hired as an adviser to essentially vouch for the business. The company shut its doors in 2017 after being served with a federal injunction from the Federal Trade Commission, then was ordered to pay a $26 million fine.
As of the present, World Patent Marketing, Inc. is under criminal inquiry from the FBI. As part of his role as acting attorney general and the highest-ranking law enforcement officer in the United States, Whitaker is now in charge of that investigation.
“As a former U.S. Attorney, I would only align myself with a first class organization. World Patent Marketing goes beyond making statements about doing business ‘ethically’ and translates them into action,” read Whitaker’s statement for the company.
Whitaker is also very outspoken in his general dislike of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. He has appeared on cable news to denounce it more than once.
Matthew Whitaker, the acting attorney general, served on the board of a company that “bilked thousands of consumers out of millions of dollars,” the Federal Trade Commission said https://t.co/XrwPVJ3s3I
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 9, 2018
World Patent Marketing has been accused by the FTC of fraud and misrepresenting itself, allegedly bilking customers out of $26 million. The case was settled earlier this year, but that doesn’t change the current FBI criminal investigation, according to CNBC .
“World Patent Marketing has devastated me emotionally, mentally and financially,” said investor Melvin Kiaaina, a disabled U.S. Army veteran and former paratrooper from Hawaii.
His story is like many others who gave money to World Patent Marketing, according to The Guardian . The company targeted veterans in its promotions with statements like the following.
“Not only do we honor the veterans and soldiers of our armed forces but we are also celebrating what they are protecting – the American dream.”
Donald Trump recently stated that he “doesn’t know” Matthew Whitaker, as reported by the Inquisitr , though just weeks ago he very clearly stated that he “[knows] Matthew Whitaker.” Reports have alleged that Whitaker has been in the Oval Office and has met face-to-face with Donald Trump several times.
