Donald Trump has repeatedly promised to eliminate the Department of Education, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t named a nominee to serve as Secretary of Education. That is Linda McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, two-time losing Senate candidate in Connecticut, head of the Small Business Administration in Trump’s first term, and co-chair of Trump’s transition team.
Aside from a year spent on Connecticut’s Board of Education, McMahon has no major background on education issues, and in fact, appears to have falsely claimed to hold a degree in education.
This was pointed out, on the day of the nomination, by none other than veteran pro wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer:
Who do you think will be the first mainstream reporter to find out she falsified a degree in education https://t.co/6GwiaVvcDN
— Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) November 20, 2024
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McMahon once claimed, in a questionnaire before her Board of Education appointment, to have earned a degree in education, when it fact her degree was in French. This came to light during one of her Senate campaigns.
Joyce Vance, a former U.S. attorney and Trump critic, called the claim “disqualifying.”
Linda McMahon lying about education degree “disqualifying”: Attorney https://t.co/prxtldGlny
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) November 22, 2024
“There were social media posts claiming Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Education, Linda McMahon, lied about having a college degree in education when seeking a position on the Connection Board of Education,” Vance wrote in her newsletter. “She reportedly resigned a day before she was going to be exposed in the press. If this is true, it’s disqualifying and will be yet another test for the Senate.”
McMahon is under scrutiny for another reason: Her ties to alleged sex crimes at WWE.
Her estranged husband Vince, the longtime head of WWE, has been sued for sex trafficking, physical and emotional abuse, and sexual assault, and a federal investigation is reportedly underway as well. In addition, Linda was named in a different lawsuit, in connection with the “ring boys” scandal of the 1980s, when a group of then-boys who worked for WWE were abused by a man who worked as a ring announcer for the company.
“This civil lawsuit based upon thirty-plus-year-old allegations is filled with scurrilous lies, exaggerations, and misrepresentations regarding Linda McMahon,” an attorney for Linda McMahon told CNN. “Ms. McMahon will vigorously defend against this baseless lawsuit and without doubt ultimately succeed.”
Featured image via screengrab
