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Trump continues attacking Hamilton — deflecting attention from his fraud settlement

Donald Trump continued lashing out at the musical Hamilton via Twitter on Sunday morning, demanding again that the cast of the hit Broadway show apologize to his vice president-elect Mike Pence after they delivered a heartfelt appeal during Friday’s show (which Pence attended) that his administration uphold the “inalienable rights” of “the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious.”

“The cast and producers of Hamilton, which I hear is highly overrated, should immediately apologize to Mike Pence for their terrible behavior,” Trump tweeted on Sunday, doubling down on two earlier statements he sent out 24-hours earlier, which drew criticism and ridicule from his opponents. His supporters, meanwhile rallied behind their president and vice president-elect, sharing the hashtag #BoycottHamilton.

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Trump sent out another Hamilton tweet at 7.30 p.m. on Saturday, but quickly deleted it:

Trump University Fraud settlement

The incident stole the spotlight from some other big news rattling the Trump campaign this weekend, with social media users complaining that some media outlets were easily distracted from more important issues at hand.

On Friday, news broke that the president elect had opted to settle the Trump University fraud class action lawsuit for $25 million, after initially vowing to see the matter through to trial.

The lawsuit was frequently cited during the presidential campaign by critics who argued that the empty promises of his profitable education scheme should serve as a warning that the big promises he made on the campaign trail could also end up disappointing.

Aspiring property moguls shelled out up to $35,000 in tuition fees at the University, expecting to receive tricks of the trade from experts who had been handpicked by Trump himself. But the institution was not accredited, and several of its instructors were unqualified. The settlement applies to two federal class-action suits in San Diego and a separate lawsuit by New York’s attorney general Eric T. Schneiderman.

Conflicts of interest

Also on Friday, the Washington Post reported that about 100 foreign diplomats were wined and dined at the junior ballroom of the new Trump International Hotel in D.C. earlier this week. They were offered Trump-label champagne and given a sales-pitch about the newly renovated hotel — where some rooms costs about $20,000 a night — and is conveniently located just a few blocks from the White House.

While some guests appeared seduced by their lavish surroundings, others reportedly “expressed concern” that dropping thousands of dollars on a Trump property “could look like an attempt to buy access or favors” with the president elect.

Jeff Sessions

On Friday morning, Trump announced that Alabama senator Jeff Sessions would serve as Attorney General in his cabinet, alarming civil rights advocates who pointed to the accusations of racism which have dogged his political career. In 1986, a Senate committee denied Sessions a federal judgeship because of his alleged past use of the n-word and a joke about the Ku Klux Klan, who he apparently said he thought were “okay until he learned that they smoked marijuana.”

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