The producer of NBC’s “The Apprentice,” Mark Burnett, threatened law suits against staffers who leak unaired outtakes which show Donald Trump in a disparaging light, BuzzFeed News reports.
Burnett “is pro-Trump and has made clear to his teams that he will sue anyone who leaks,” a source close to the producer told the online outlet.
Both Burnett and his production company have not responded to multiple requests for comment (from BuzzFeed News and several other outlets) after pressure mounted on the producer to release footage that former staffers have indicated is “far worse” than what leaked on Friday from the vaults of “Access Hollywood.”
Bill Pruitt, who says he was a producer during Season 1 and 2, claimed to have firsthand knowledge of damning recordings of Trump:
As a producer on seasons 1 & 2 of #theapprentice I assure you: when it comes to the #trumptapes there are far worse. #justthebegininng
— Bill Pruitt (@billpruitt) October 8, 2016
The Associated Press corroborated the notion that “The Apprentice” is sitting on the makings of an even bigger scandal than the one involving former “Access Hollywood” host Billy Bush. The outlet interviewed more than 20 former “Apprentice” contestants, crew members and editors who said Trump was regularly disparaging toward women and used sexist language.
“If there was a break in the conversation, he would then look at one of the female cast members, saying ‘you’re looking kind of hot today, I love that dress on you,’ then he would turn to one of the male cast members and say ‘wouldn’t you sleep with her?’ and then everyone would laugh,” a former crew member told the AP, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of a non-disclosure agreement “Apprentice” workers were made to sign.
Screenwriter and producer Chris Nee highlighted in a recent tweet that a breach of the the show’s non-disclosure agreement would cost her $5 million dollars. She also indicated that the use of the racist “N” word is one of the scathing revelations in the unreleased footage — though she stopped short of attributing the word to Trump himself.
https://twitter.com/chrisdocnee/status/785159503419351040