U.S. Judge Gonzalo Curiel is in the crosshairs of Donald Trump who has labelled him a “hater” and openly questioned his ability to objectively oversee a lawsuit against Trump University.
READ MORE: Donald Trump continues to defend criticism of judge with Mexican heritage
During a CNN interview, host Jake Tapper questioned Trump more than 20 times if his comments were racist. Trump continued to point to his plans to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico and renegotiate trade agreements between the two countries as justification for his comments
“He’s proud of his heritage. I respect him for that,” Trump said. “He’s a Mexican. We’re building a wall between here and Mexico.”
“If you are saying he cannot do his job because of his race, is that not the definition of racism?” Tapper asks at the end of the interview.
“No, I don’t think so at all,” Trump said.
READ MORE: Republicans tell Donald Trump to back off of judge’s Mexican heritage
And now some powerful Republicans are publicly condemning the GOP nominee. House Speaker Paul Ryan said Tuesday that Donald Trump’s statements are a “textbook definition of a racist comment.”
Texas congressman Filemon called Trump’s continued attacks on the judge “just plain despicable.”
As the California primary gets underway Tuesday, here are three things to know about Judge Curiel at the centre of the Trump fiasco.
He was born in the United Sates
According to the Federal Judicial Center, Curiel was born in East Chicago, Indiana, in 1953. His parents were both immigrants from Mexico.
“My parents came here from Mexico with a dream of providing their children opportunities,” Curiel said in 2012. “And they’ve been able to do that with the opportunities that this country has to offer.”
In an interview with The New York Times, Curiel’s brother, Raul, said their father first entered the country in Arizona in the 1920s.
A Target of a Mexican drug cartel
The Los Angeles Times reported that in the late 1990s, while working as a federal prosecutor, Curiel was targeted by Tijuana drug cartel run by Benjamín Arellano Félix.
According to court documents, Felix planned to have Curiel assassinated.
He was assigned a security detail, including bodyguards, who traveled with him.
“During this period, he led an investigative unit of more than 20 federal agents and four assistant U.S attorneys that successfully extradited and prosecuted leaders, assassins and members of the infamous Arellano-Felix drug cartel,” Sen. Barbara Boxer’s office said in a statement in 2011.
Arnold Schwarzenegger says he’s an ‘American hero’
While Trump told supporters during a rally in San Diego that Curiel was “was appointed by Barack Obama” he actually got his start as judge after being appointed by then-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Before President Barack Obama nominated him in November 2011, Schwarzenegger appointed Curiel in 2006 to the state superior court.
Schwarzenegger called Curiel an “American hero” on Monday tweeting: “Judge Curiel is an American hero who stood up to the Mexican cartels. I was proud to appoint him when I was Gov.”
*With files from the Associated Press
Comments