Trump appoints author of 'Illuminati Secret Laws of Money' to federal education board

A Colorado lawyer who's known for authoring a series of "Illuminati self-help books" has been appointed to a federal education board by President Trump, The Denver Post reports.

George Mentz, who was nominated to the Commission on Presidential Scholars last week, teaches online courses on wealth management and is also a writer for the right-wing news site Newsmax. He's authored books titled, “The Illuminati Secret Laws of Money,” “The Illuminati Handbook,” “50 Laws of Power of the Illuminati,” and “100 Secrets and Habits of the Illuminati for Life Success.”

As the Denver Post points out, his books are laced with conspiratorial and pseudoscientific buzzwords.

“When a person stops struggling and initiates ALCHEMY OR MAGIC, SOMETHING HAPPENS,” Mentz wrote in his 2013 book, “Success Magic — The Prosperity Secret to Win with Magical Spiritual Power: How to Grow Rich, Influence People, Protect Your Mindset and Love Yourself Like a Warrior Using Timeless Abundance Secrets.”

But according Mentz, his terminology isn't as loony as it sounds.

“Just because I use the word Illuminati, don’t let that get you too excited,” Mentz said in an interview, according to the Denver Post. “If you look the word up, it means ‘illumination.’ How to be more aware, conscious, a better person.”

Mentz is also the owner of the Global Academy of Finance and Management, which awards certifications to applicants, for a fee, that allows people to attain titles such as an "accredited life coach" or a "certified political scientist." Critics have said the certifications are meaningless, but according to a message on the GAFM website, having such a certification “makes you one of the next generation of global leaders."

In an interview this Friday, Mentz justified his certification program, saying his standards are "pretty basic."

“If you took 135 hours of college education to get your degree from a particular university and satisfied a major in journalism, then you’re qualified for certification in that area if you had a GPA or 3.0 or higher," Mentz said. "So, instead of having someone go to Sylvan Learning and take a quiz to be certified, we would allow somebody like you to apply directly for a certification.”