After hiring surgeon Ben Carson to lead the federal department of Housing and Urban Development despite his having no related experience, President Donald Trump appears dead set on keeping the unqualified hires coming with the appointment of family loyalist Lynne Patton to head up one of HUD's regional offices.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Patton worked as the vice president of the foundation of Trump's son, Eric. She also described herself as being in charge of "handling all calendar appointments." Patton has worked for the Trump family since 2009 when she worked as an event staffer and planner.
Patton also claims to have received a law degree from Quinnipiac University but according to the New York Daily News, the school's registrar says that she only attended for two semesters before withdrawing.
During her time as head of Eric Trump's foundation, Patton allegedly directed it to begin paying excessive fees to Donald Trump's business, a practice which has sparked an investigation from New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman.
In response to a Forbes report which first reported the payments, Patton defended herself:
"“If we are guilty of anything, it is of trying to save too much money for the children of St. Jude inasmuch that we made the conscious decision to operate an extremely ‘detail intensive’ non-profit for nearly 10 years without a single paid employee while relying heavily on donated professional services,” she wrote. “But if this is our greatest error, then I have no regrets and will own it for the rest of my life.
After Trump assumed the presidency, Patton moved to HUD where she became a "Senior Advisor & Director of Public Engagement." Just six months later, she has been appointed as a regional administrator for HUD's service area which includes New Jersey and New York and spends billions of dollars.
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