Donald Trump's companies have engaged in tactics much more deceptive than what the Republican candidate accuses Hillary Clinton of doing with her emails in the FBI investigation against her, Newsweek reports.
The magazine says it has exposed through a review of court cases over the decades that Trump's companies "have systematically destroyed or hidden thousands of emails, digital records and paper documents demanded in official proceedings, often in defiance of court orders."
This was done, Newsweek says, in order to create hurdles that made lawsuits drag on for years and caused many complaintants without the financial means to continue to give up.
The allegations were similar, but in much more detail and over many more cases, to those revealed in a USA Today story earlier this year. In that report, it was stated in a civil case pitting Trump hotels and casino resorts against an employee that Trump's business erased emails as a matter of course, and had no records for the years 1996 through to 2001.
Newsweek documented in detail Trump's companies pattern of, what it called, "the use of deception and untruthful affidavits, as well as the hiding or improper destruction of documents," to at least 1973, when his real estate company fought the federal government over civil charges that they refused to rent apartments to African Americans.
After repeatedly ignoring deadlines to produce records and answers to questions, Trump was forced to appear for a short deposition under subpoena, where he said his company had been destroying their corporate records for the previous six months and had no document-retention program in an attempt to save space.
Only five years later, after Trump's continued deceptive strategies, did the government finally force a settlement in the case in which they had to comply with federal housing regulations against discrimination.
In that case, the government had the ability and money to fight back against abuses of the courts by Trump, but many private litigants were not so fortunate.
Newsweek contends that Trump's documented abuse of the judicial system helps explain his behavior since he declared his candidacy, such as his false promises to turn over his tax returns and health records.
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