Court Docs: Host of Trump Fundraiser Made Frequent Racist Comments in Workplace, Also Ponzi Scheme

[iluvatar5150]

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/05/trump-fundraiser-host-accused-racist-remarks.html

Former President Donald Trump will be hosted at a fundraiser Saturday by a construction equipment magnate who was accused in a recent lawsuit of making racist remarks to his employees, according to legal filings reviewed by CNBC.​

​

Trump is scheduled to attend the event in Las Vegas at the Ahern Luxury Boutique Hotel, which is owned by businessman Don Ahern. The tycoon and founder of Ahern Rentals is listed as a co-host of the event, with ticket prices for couples going for up to $844,600, according to an invitation obtained by CNBC.​

​

In 2022, an employee who worked at Ahern Rentals for 17 years alleged in a lawsuit that he witnessed Don Ahern repeatedly make racist and bigoted statements in the workplace.​

​

The plaintiff in the case, Mark Townsend, was terminated from his job at Ahern Rentals and his suit sought monetary damages “for lost income, lost benefits, lost earnings capacity, and other economic loss suffered by plaintiff,” according to the original complaint. There was no specific monetary value cited, and the case was settled out of court in July 2023.​

​

Among Townsend’s allegations are that he heard Don Ahern say, “We don’t like hiring n------. They are dumb. They are just born that way.”​

​

He also alleged that he heard Ahern say, “If it was up to me, I would get rid of all the n------, Mexicans, and women, because they’re useless.”​

​

Lest you think this is merely the retaliatory claims of one disgruntled former employee:

Mohammed Sami Bakdash, who served as general counsel for Ahern and his companies for nearly a decade, until late 2023, testified during a deposition that he heard Ahern use this language near the end of his tenure at Ahern Rentals.​

​

The deposition was part of a larger legal battle between Ahern Rentals and several companies that accuse Ahern Rentals of participating in a massive, multistate fraud scheme involving the distribution of mobile solar generators. The architect of the Ponzi scheme was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2021. But a group of companies sued Ahern Rentals in an effort to recover some of what they said was their lost money. That litigation is ongoing.​

​

“Sir, within the last year or so before you left Ahern Rentals, did you hear Don Ahern use the N-word?” Bakdash was asked during the May 24 deposition.​

​

“Yes, sir,” Bakdash replied.​

​

Bakdash also testified that Ahern seemed to take issue with women in the workplace. “Towards the end of my tenure there, it seemed like he did not like ... working with women,” the former Ahern legal advisor said in his deposition.​

 

[AlexB23]

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/05/trump-fundraiser-host-accused-racist-remarks.html

Former President Donald Trump will be hosted at a fundraiser Saturday by a construction equipment magnate who was accused in a recent lawsuit of making racist remarks to his employees, according to legal filings reviewed by CNBC.​

​

Trump is scheduled to attend the event in Las Vegas at the Ahern Luxury Boutique Hotel, which is owned by businessman Don Ahern. The tycoon and founder of Ahern Rentals is listed as a co-host of the event, with ticket prices for couples going for up to $844,600, according to an invitation obtained by CNBC.​

​

In 2022, an employee who worked at Ahern Rentals for 17 years alleged in a lawsuit that he witnessed Don Ahern repeatedly make racist and bigoted statements in the workplace.​

​

The plaintiff in the case, Mark Townsend, was terminated from his job at Ahern Rentals and his suit sought monetary damages “for lost income, lost benefits, lost earnings capacity, and other economic loss suffered by plaintiff,” according to the original complaint. There was no specific monetary value cited, and the case was settled out of court in July 2023.​

​

Among Townsend’s allegations are that he heard Don Ahern say, “We don’t like hiring n------. They are dumb. They are just born that way.”​

​

He also alleged that he heard Ahern say, “If it was up to me, I would get rid of all the n------, Mexicans, and women, because they’re useless.”​

​

Lest you think this is merely the retaliatory claims of one disgruntled former employee:

Mohammed Sami Bakdash, who served as general counsel for Ahern and his companies for nearly a decade, until late 2023, testified during a deposition that he heard Ahern use this language near the end of his tenure at Ahern Rentals.​

​

The deposition was part of a larger legal battle between Ahern Rentals and several companies that accuse Ahern Rentals of participating in a massive, multistate fraud scheme involving the distribution of mobile solar generators. The architect of the Ponzi scheme was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2021. But a group of companies sued Ahern Rentals in an effort to recover some of what they said was their lost money. That litigation is ongoing.​

​

“Sir, within the last year or so before you left Ahern Rentals, did you hear Don Ahern use the N-word?” Bakdash was asked during the May 24 deposition.​

​

“Yes, sir,” Bakdash replied.​

​

Bakdash also testified that Ahern seemed to take issue with women in the workplace. “Towards the end of my tenure there, it seemed like he did not like ... working with women,” the former Ahern legal advisor said in his deposition.​

Glad I do not work for this Ahern guy. As a brown man, I would probably be a target of racism there.

Also, it is strange how pro-Trumpers bash solar and renewables, and only support solar when it benefits their cause (such as Ahern and the solar generators). Trump sadly is against solar: Trump’s sneering at solar is stupid in the Sunshine State • Florida Phoenix

 

[Zaha Torte]

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/05/trump-fundraiser-host-accused-racist-remarks.html

Former President Donald Trump will be hosted at a fundraiser Saturday by a construction equipment magnate who was accused in a recent lawsuit of making racist remarks to his employees, according to legal filings reviewed by CNBC.​

​

Trump is scheduled to attend the event in Las Vegas at the Ahern Luxury Boutique Hotel, which is owned by businessman Don Ahern. The tycoon and founder of Ahern Rentals is listed as a co-host of the event, with ticket prices for couples going for up to $844,600, according to an invitation obtained by CNBC.​

​

In 2022, an employee who worked at Ahern Rentals for 17 years alleged in a lawsuit that he witnessed Don Ahern repeatedly make racist and bigoted statements in the workplace.​

​

The plaintiff in the case, Mark Townsend, was terminated from his job at Ahern Rentals and his suit sought monetary damages “for lost income, lost benefits, lost earnings capacity, and other economic loss suffered by plaintiff,” according to the original complaint. There was no specific monetary value cited, and the case was settled out of court in July 2023.​

​

Among Townsend’s allegations are that he heard Don Ahern say, “We don’t like hiring n------. They are dumb. They are just born that way.”​

​

He also alleged that he heard Ahern say, “If it was up to me, I would get rid of all the n------, Mexicans, and women, because they’re useless.”​

​

Lest you think this is merely the retaliatory claims of one disgruntled former employee:

Mohammed Sami Bakdash, who served as general counsel for Ahern and his companies for nearly a decade, until late 2023, testified during a deposition that he heard Ahern use this language near the end of his tenure at Ahern Rentals.​

​

The deposition was part of a larger legal battle between Ahern Rentals and several companies that accuse Ahern Rentals of participating in a massive, multistate fraud scheme involving the distribution of mobile solar generators. The architect of the Ponzi scheme was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2021. But a group of companies sued Ahern Rentals in an effort to recover some of what they said was their lost money. That litigation is ongoing.​

​

“Sir, within the last year or so before you left Ahern Rentals, did you hear Don Ahern use the N-word?” Bakdash was asked during the May 24 deposition.​

​

“Yes, sir,” Bakdash replied.​

​

Bakdash also testified that Ahern seemed to take issue with women in the workplace. “Towards the end of my tenure there, it seemed like he did not like ... working with women,” the former Ahern legal advisor said in his deposition.​

Isn't it coincidental that this lawyer worked for Ahern for a decade - but claimed not to have heard any language like this until after Townsend made his claims and settled out of court?

 

[iluvatar5150]

Isn't it coincidental that this lawyer worked for Ahern for a decade - but claimed not to have heard any language like this until after Townsend made his claims and settled out of court?

I don’t know why that would be suspicious. Saying this stuff to anybody in the workplace is pretty stupid but saying it to your general counsel is next level stupid. Maybe the guy got more brazen and/or careless over time.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

He also alleged that he heard Ahern say, “If it was up to me, I would get rid of all the n------, Mexicans, and women, because they’re useless.”

How does one say they're gay without explicitly saying they're gay lol

I bet this Ahern person has quite the internet search history lol

 

[iluvatar5150]

How does one say they're gay without explicitly saying they're gay lol

I bet this Ahern person has quite the internet search history lol

A construction magnate who hates everybody except the queers? Hmm..

 

[ozso]

I wonder how many people will say they never heard Ahearn say those kinds of things. This should be an everybody knows it situation. Yet it seems more like a couple of whistle blowers suddenly bringing it to light. Two people out of many who would have heard the same language doesn't come off as particularly convincing.

 

[iluvatar5150]

I wonder how many people will say they never heard Ahearn say those kinds of things. This should be an everybody knows it situation. Yet it seems more like a couple of whistle blowers suddenly bringing it to light. Two people out of many who would have heard the same language doesn't come off as particularly convincing.

Why would you think many people would have heard this? The two people cited in the article were in sufficiently high positions that they regularly dealt with the C-suite. I don't hear anything from my C-suite executives except what they say in townhalls or in the media.

 

[ozso]

Why would you think many people would have heard this? The two people cited in the article were in sufficiently high positions that they regularly dealt with the C-suite. I don't hear anything from my C-suite executives except what they say in townhalls or in the media.

It sounds too far fetched to me that only in the C-suite he was this mega-racist, and outside of C-suite no one he rubbed elbows with had a clue of it. Like the minute he steps into C-suite and only C-suite, he goes from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde.

 

[iluvatar5150]

It sounds too far fetched to me that only in the C-suite he was this mega-racist, and outside of C-suite no one he rubbed elbows with had a clue of it. Like the minute he steps into C-suite and only C-suite, he goes from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde.

Maybe other people did hear it. We only know of two people cited in one article.

 

[Zaha Torte]

I don’t know why that would be suspicious. Saying this stuff to anybody in the workplace is pretty stupid but saying it to your general counsel is next level stupid. Maybe the guy got more brazen and/or careless over time.

Or the guy never said those things and the lawyer - who made these claims after he left - was just dogpiling on what the other guy had said?

 

[ozso]

Maybe other people did hear it. We only know of two people cited in one article.

I think if he was that racist there would have at least been rumors of it before those two blew their whistles. People gossip too much for me to believe it was a deep dark secret up until now. I'm a former long time Las Vegas resident, and prominent citizens like Ahern who employ many locals are talked about a lot.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Or the guy never said those things and the lawyer - who made these claims after he left - was just dogpiling on what the other guy had said?

Anything is possible, but the claims from the lawyer are pulled from a deposition he gave in another, unrelated case. He was asked about that language; he didn't volunteer it. The OP article linked to the deposition, which you can read for yourself. The relevant section starts on page 61:

https://fm.cnbc.com/applications/cnbc.com/resources/editorialfiles/2024/06/05/Mohammed_Sami_Bakdash_deposition.pdf

That's not dogpiling.

I think if he was that racist there would have at least been rumors of it before those two blew their whistles. People gossip too much for me to believe it was a deep dark secret up until now. I'm a former long time Las Vegas resident, and prominent citizens like Ahern who employ many locals are talked about a lot.

How long ago did you live in Vegas?

 

[ozso]

How long ago did you live in Vegas?

10 years ago.

 

[iluvatar5150]

10 years ago.

The lawyer who worked with this guy said that he didn't start witnessing these behaviors until after you left.

 

[Zaha Torte]

The lawyer who worked with this guy said that he didn't start witnessing these behaviors until after you left.

And after that other guy settled out of court for making similar claims.

 

[ozso]

The lawyer who worked with this guy said that he didn't start witnessing these behaviors until after you left.

Meaning what? Locals gossiped about prominent citizens for decades and suddenly stopped after I left? Ahern suddenly became rabidly racist only a couple of years ago and only when around a few or just a couple of people?

 

[iluvatar5150]

Meaning what? Locals gossiped about prominent citizens and suddenly stopped after I left?

Meaning that the activity may not have occurred while you lived there and were privy to local gossip.

Ahern suddenly became rabidly racist only a couple of years ago and only around a few or just a couple of people?

The guy's 71. He'd hardly be the first person to grow more vocally bigoted with age.

 

[Oompa Loompa]

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/05/trump-fundraiser-host-accused-racist-remarks.html

Former President Donald Trump will be hosted at a fundraiser Saturday by a construction equipment magnate who was accused in a recent lawsuit of making racist remarks to his employees, according to legal filings reviewed by CNBC.​

​

Trump is scheduled to attend the event in Las Vegas at the Ahern Luxury Boutique Hotel, which is owned by businessman Don Ahern. The tycoon and founder of Ahern Rentals is listed as a co-host of the event, with ticket prices for couples going for up to $844,600, according to an invitation obtained by CNBC.​

​

In 2022, an employee who worked at Ahern Rentals for 17 years alleged in a lawsuit that he witnessed Don Ahern repeatedly make racist and bigoted statements in the workplace.​

​

The plaintiff in the case, Mark Townsend, was terminated from his job at Ahern Rentals and his suit sought monetary damages “for lost income, lost benefits, lost earnings capacity, and other economic loss suffered by plaintiff,” according to the original complaint. There was no specific monetary value cited, and the case was settled out of court in July 2023.​

​

Among Townsend’s allegations are that he heard Don Ahern say, “We don’t like hiring n------. They are dumb. They are just born that way.”​

​

He also alleged that he heard Ahern say, “If it was up to me, I would get rid of all the n------, Mexicans, and women, because they’re useless.”​

​

Lest you think this is merely the retaliatory claims of one disgruntled former employee:

Mohammed Sami Bakdash, who served as general counsel for Ahern and his companies for nearly a decade, until late 2023, testified during a deposition that he heard Ahern use this language near the end of his tenure at Ahern Rentals.​

​

The deposition was part of a larger legal battle between Ahern Rentals and several companies that accuse Ahern Rentals of participating in a massive, multistate fraud scheme involving the distribution of mobile solar generators. The architect of the Ponzi scheme was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2021. But a group of companies sued Ahern Rentals in an effort to recover some of what they said was their lost money. That litigation is ongoing.​

​

“Sir, within the last year or so before you left Ahern Rentals, did you hear Don Ahern use the N-word?” Bakdash was asked during the May 24 deposition.​

​

“Yes, sir,” Bakdash replied.​

​

Bakdash also testified that Ahern seemed to take issue with women in the workplace. “Towards the end of my tenure there, it seemed like he did not like ... working with women,” the former Ahern legal advisor said in his deposition.​

Is this like how Trump "allegedly" said that people are dumb for joing the military? Or that time when Trump allegedly encouraged people to inject themselves with bleach to cure covid? Pr perhaps that time when Trump allegedly called neo-nazis as "good people." Dare I even bring up some of Biden's racist quotes that are on the record and not "alleged"? Please stop with the double standard pearl cluching.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Is this like how Trump "allegedly" said that people are dumb for joing the military?

No, these claims were attested to by folks under oath.