Donald Trump Jr. is alleged to have sent racist and derogatory emails several years ago, which have now been made public as a part of a lawsuit involving a friend of the former president's eldest son.
Gentry Beach, who was a groomsman at Trump Jr.'s wedding, is currently engaged in a lengthy legal battle dating back 15 years with his former hedge-fund employer, Touradji Capital Management. He has accused then of withholding tens of millions of dollars he says he is owed.
Beach has also accused fund founder Paul Touradji of threatening to kill him and plotting to harm his career while refusing to pay the compensation.
As part of the lawsuit, Beach attempted to argue that emails he sent to Trump Jr. from his Touradji work email account between 2005 and 2008 should be redacted from becoming public. The emails are being used as part of a defense from a hedge fund, alleging that show Beach was disloyal to his employer and exposed the company to reputational harm and therefore should not be compensated.
Some of the emails sent by Beach reference hunting Jews and shooting Mexicans. In his replies, Trump Jr. also made derogatory remarks about the amount of Black families that have moved into the Manhattan area of New York, claiming it is starting to look like Harlem, an area of the city with a historically higher Black population.
"I hear the theme song of the Jeffersons playing in the background," Trump Jr. said, in reference to the popular CBS sitcom that ran between 1975 and 1985.
In another exchange, Trump Jr. complained about Mexicans coming to the U.S. "Encourage the Mexicans to come to the US and give them another excuse to not learn English," he wrote. "When I have to speak to my grandchildren in Spanish, at least I know I will have you to thank."
Beach responded by suggesting he was going to send his son to the border with ammo. "We're going to stop this w****** issue dead in its tracks," he wrote.
Omar Rivero, founder of the political activist group Occupy Democrats, said the "bombshell" emails by Trump Jr. were "racist attacks against Mexicans and Black New Yorkers. "
The anti-Donald Trump PAC Really American added: "New emails sent by Donald Trump Jr. have just surfaced in a lawsuit by an old friend, detailing racist back and fourths against Blacks, Mexicans and Jews.
"Does this really come as any surprise? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
The emails were previously read out in court during a retrial of the lawsuit, which eventually ended with a jury unable to reach a verdict.
During the retrial, a lawyer for Beach told jurors that while the emails from his client were "highly inappropriate, shameful, inexcusable," they should not be taken into consideration when deciding if Touradji owed Beach compensation.
"You don't have to like him to make a decision that he's owed money," the lawyer said. "Don't be manipulated."
Beach said the emails were sent to several University of Pennsylvania alumni, including Trump Jr. and some Jewish friends.
Also on the email chain was former RNC co-chair Tom Hicks Jr., who allegedly made an antisemitic comment about a Jewish real estate broker that sent pornographic images to one of the group's members.
On Thursday, State Supreme Court Justice Andrea Masley rejected Beach's claims that Trump Jr.'s name should be redacted if the emails are used as evidence in a new trial.
The Trump Organization has been contacted for comment via email.
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Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
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