U.S. presidential election 2012: CEO David Siegel tells employees they could …
By
Hugo Gye
17:05 EST, 9 October 2012
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17:19 EST, 9 October 2012
A timeshare mogul who shot to fame by building the largest house in America is courting controversy by threatening to shut down his company if President Obama is re-elected.
David Siegel, a flamboyant millionaire who claims to have been responsible for electing George W. Bush to the White House, emailed all his employees yesterday claiming that Mr Obama would introduce new taxes which would force him to downsize.
The property magnate’s 1,400-word rant was largely copied from a chain email which circulated around the time of the 2008 presidential election.
Threat: David Siegel has threatened to downsize Westgate Resorts if President Obama is re-elected
Lavish: Mr Siegel’s wife Jackie outside their multi-million-dollar home modelled on the Palace of Versailles
Mr Siegel is the founder of Westgate Resorts, a real estate and timeshare business based in Florida which employs thousands of people across the U.S.
He achieved national fame when he started building a 30-bedroom mansion near Orlando modelled on the Palace of Versailles, which he hopes will be worth $100million.
The 77-year-old starred alongside his wife Jackie, 46, in a documentary film entitled Queen of Versailles, chronicling the construction of the house and the struggles of Mr Siegel’s company during the financial crisis and recession.
The flamboyant businessman has previously boasted of using his employees for political ends.
He apparently surveyed his 8,000 workers before the 2000 election, and encouraged only those who supported Mr Bush to vote – an act which he believes brought the Republican victory in Florida, and therefore in the race as a whole.
Romance: The Siegels were featured in a documentary entitled Queen of Versailles earlier this year
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2215327/U-S-presidential-election-2012-CEO-David-Siegel-tells-employees-fired-Obama-elected.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Short URL: http://thepresidency.us/?p=20905
Posted by RobertButler
on Oct 9 2012. Filed under 2012 Presidential Campaign.
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