(This post may contain disputed claims. We make no assertions as to the validity of the information presented by our Opinion Columnist. We are an opinion blog, not a traditional news outlet, and this post should be treated as such. Enjoy.)An associate of Michelle Obama and her daughters Malia and Sasha is reportedly connected to the massive college bribery scheme which has brought felony indictments to Hollywood actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Laughlin. Here’s what we know so far. Don’t miss this.
Reports coming in are saying Michelle Obama’s personal tennis instructor, who also taught Malia and Sasha, is one of the biggest offenders indicted in the recent college bribery scandal.
“A former Georgetown University tennis coach who was the instructor of First Lady Michelle Obama and her daughters was among the 50 people indicted this morning in a sweeping college admissions scandal,” the Daily Mail reports.
Gordon Ernst, who until last year was employed as the head coach of men’s and women’s tennis at Georgetown, and who also gave private lessons to the Obama girls, was named in the bombshell indictment, along with long-time Yale women’s soccer coach Rudy Meredith.
“The bribery scheme, which allegedly also involved actresses Lori Laughlin and Felicity Huffman, entailed getting students admitted to some of the top schools in the country as recruited athletes – regardless of athletic ability – and helping those applicants cheat on their entrance exams,” the Daily Mail adds.
In fact, according to the unsealed indictment, between 2012 and 2018, during which time Ernst was the head coach at Georgetown University, he received bribes totaling more than $2.7million, which was falsely labeled as “consulting.” This also matches the same time frame he was employed by the Obamas.
“In a statement, Georgetown said it was ‘deeply disappointed’ and cooperating with the federal investigation,” the New York Post reports. “After being fired from Georgetown in 2018, Ernst was hired by the University of Rhode Island.”
He was placed on administrative leave by the school Tuesday. It was while he was at Georgetown that he coached the first family, according to The Providence Journal. So far, there is no indication Malia, who is a sophomore at Harvard, was implicated in the scam.
In exchange for the payoffs, Ernst allegedly designated at least a dozen applicants as recruits for the Georgetown tennis team, including some who did not play competitively, in order to help them get into the university.
The money came from charitable accounts set up by the accused mastermind of the scheme, William Rick Singer, who founded the college consulting business Edge College & Career Network, also known as The Key, in Newport Beach, California.
“Prosecutors said parents paid Singer about $25 million to bribe coaches and administrators into pretending that their children were athletic recruits to guarantee their admission. In one instance, according to the documents, Ernst was allegedly paid $400,000 for getting the child of Singer’s clients into Georgetown under the guise of tennis recruitment, even though the applicant did not play competitive tennis,” the Daily Mail reported.
Well, social media blew up with many people wondering about the Obamas and this shady tennis coach. “Oh so one of the coaches indicted in the #CollegeCheatingScandal worked with Michelle and Obama’s two daughters! The plot thickens! Don’t count on the media, though, to ask Barack and Michelle about their possible complicity,” tweeted Dinesh D’Souza, the famous conservative filmmaker.
Oh so one of the coaches indicted in the #CollegeCheatingScandal worked with Michelle and Obama’s two daughters! The plot thickens! Don’t count on the media, though, to ask Barack and Michelle about their possible complicity https://t.co/mDXQEH9ncY
— Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) March 13, 2019
“Remember when all the major news outlets gleefully headlined that a Trump golf course employed illegal immigrants? There will be no such widespread coverage of this,” tweeted Kevin Norman. Yeah, can you imagine if this was the Trump family tennis coach? The mainstream media would be going nuts.
Remember when all the major news outlets gleefully headlined that a Trump golf course employed illegal immigrants? There will be no such widespread coverage of this.
— Kevin Norman (@Wytedvyl) March 13, 2019
“@BarackObama @MichelleObama did your daughter get into Harvard without bribery and because of academia? Very curious,” said Twitter user “Lil Mindi.” So far there is no connection, but many Trump supporters are tired of the leftists always dragging President Donald Trump’s name into every conspiracy.
@BarackObama @MichelleObama did your daughter get into Harvard without bribery and because of academia? Very curious.
— lil mindi (@melibelitas) March 12, 2019
According to Fox News: “Most of the students didn’t know their admission was due to a bribe, authorities said, but in some cases, the children and their parents took part in the scheme.” This scandal is rocking the very foundations of middle America.
We used to be a “meritocracy,” and now it looks like the ultra-rich and celebrities are defrauding the system to make it once again an “aristocracy.” It’s why we left England. We in America wanted to make sure anyone could get ahead as long as you worked hard and made the grades.
You merited your place in society, no matter who your parents were. The Obamas may not be involved in this scam, but they surely have adopted the lifestyle of the Hollywood crowd rubbing shoulders with only the ultra-rich — the new aristocracy in America. Just like those in this bribery scheme who paid to make sure their little darlings took the place of some poor kid who really earned it.
