Don Ahern, owner of Xtreme Manufacturing, CEO and Chairman of Ahern Rentals, speaks during a Donald Trump Presidential campaign event at Xtreme Manufacturing on September 13, 2020 in Henderson, Nevada.
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Former President Donald Trump will be feted Saturday at a fundraiser for a construction equipment giant accused in a recent lawsuit of making racial remarks about its employees, according to legal documents reviewed by CNBC. doctrine speech.
Trump plans to attend event in Las Vegas Ahern Luxury Boutique Hotelowned by merchants Don Ahern. The tycoon and founder of Ahern Rentals is listed as a co-organizer of the event, which will cost up to $844,600 for couples, according to an invitation obtained by CNBC.
In 2022, an Ahern Rentals employee of 17 years claimed in litigation He witnessed Don Ahern making racist and bigoted comments on multiple occasions in the workplace.
According to the original complaint, the plaintiff in the case, Mark Townsend, was fired from his job at Ahern Rentals. His lawsuit seeks monetary damages “for the loss of income, loss of benefits, loss of earning capacity and other economic losses suffered by the plaintiff.” . No specific monetary value was mentioned, and the case was settled out of court in July 2023.
One of Townsend’s accusations was that he heard Don Ahern say: “We don’t like hiring n—–. They’re stupid. That’s the way they were born.”
He also claimed he heard Ahern say: “If it were up to me, I’d get rid of all the Mexicans and women because they’re useless.”
Ahern’s legal team said in response documents that the construction executive denies “each and every allegation contained in the complaint.”
Don Ahern did not respond to CNBC’s repeated requests for comment.
Townsend’s attorney did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
A spokesman for the Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment before publication.
In May, another former Ahern Leasing employee also said under oath that Don Ahern used racist language and that Ahern seemed to have an issue with working with women.
Mohammed Sami Bakdash, who served as general counsel for Ahern and his companies for nearly a decade until the end of 2023, testified at a hearing. deposition He heard Ahern use this language toward the end of his tenure at Ahern Leasing.
The testimony is part of a larger legal battle between Ahern Rentals and several companies that accuse Ahern Rentals of participating in Massive, multi-state fraud Plans involving the distribution of mobile solar generators. Ponzi scheme architect Sentenced to 30 years in prison 2021. But some companies have sued Ahern Rentals in an attempt to recoup some of what they say are losses. The lawsuit is ongoing.
“Sir, in the year or so before you left Ahern Leasing, did you hear Don Ahern use the N-word?” Buckdash was asked during his May 24 deposition.
“Yes, sir,” Bakdash replied.
Buckdash also testified that Ahern seemed to have a problem with women in the workplace. “Toward the end of my tenure, he seemed to dislike … working with women,” the former Ahern legal counsel said in his testimony.
Buckdash will serve as Ahern’s general counsel until December 2023, according to Ahern’s LinkedIn page. He did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Townsend’s employment discrimination lawsuit was filed in October 2022. United Rentals Announced plans to acquire Ahern Rentals for $2 billion.
political alliance
Trump and Ahern have been close allies for years.
Ahern’s wealth is estimated at $1 billion Forbesheld an indoor Trump rally The 2020 campaign coincided with the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I believe it is my patriotic duty to do the right thing for our country, and the right thing to do is to support Donald Trump,” Ahern said at a news conference after a September 2020 rally in Henderson, Nevada. President J. Trump.
In 2021, Ahern donated $250,000 to a pro-Trump political action committee called Make America Great Again, according to a report. Federal Election Commission Record.
Trump has also been accused of using racist language, which he also denies.
A former producer of NBC’s hit show “The Apprentice” recently wrote He heard Trump’s voice Using the N-word while filming the show. Trump’s campaign denied the allegation.
Trump has also been trying to win over black voters, a group that has traditionally leaned Democratic in presidential elections.
After a New York jury convicted Trump of 34 criminal charges last month, his campaign surrogates began courting black voters.
“There are two reasons why we’re seeing so many African Americans join the Trump campaign: jobs and justice.” Trump’s acting senator Tim ScottR.S.C., said on CNN.
Trump claims the criminal charges against him have boosted his popularity among black voters.
“When I took that picture in Atlanta, that picture was No. 1,” Trump said. At a gathering of black conservatives in February. “You know who supports it more than others? Black people.”
A battleground state polls A survey conducted by The New York Times, Siena College and the Philadelphia Inquirer in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin found that more than 20% of black registered voters in these states support Trump.
The survey was conducted from April 28 to May 9, There is an overall error range The combined state ratio is 1.8%. Polls in individual states show Sampling error ranges from 3.6% to 4.6%.
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