Uber-wealthy Democratic donor and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman was a major funder of E. Jean Carroll\u2019s successful sexual assault lawsuit against President Trump, according to reports published by various outlets this week.<\/p>\n
However, Carroll \u201ccompletely forgot\u201d when questioned under oath to disclose Hoffman\u2019s financial involvement with her case.<\/p>\n
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And now, the Justice Department has opened an investigation into her statement, which she made under oath, as well as the nonprofit that Hoffman operates.<\/p>\n
The DOJ probe drew immediate rebuke from the left, who accused the Trump administration of weaponizing the government against a woman who a Manhattan jury decided was victimized by Trump in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room three decades ago.<\/p>\n
In 2023 and 2024, jurors awarded Carroll, a former Elle columnist, more than $88 million for defamation and sexual abuse in two civil lawsuits against Trump.<\/p>\n
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\nCritics of Ms. Carroll\u2019s lawsuits say the DOJ\u2019s investigation into her misstatement and the financial involvement of Hoffman will provide much-needed scrutiny of a case they have labeled \u201ca hoax\u201d paid for and directed by wealthy political opponents in a scheme to stop Trump from winning a second presidential term.<\/p>\n
\u201cCompanies (or their principals) are making money off ordinary Americans only to turn around and use it to try to thwart the political choices made by ordinary Americans,\u201d Jeffrey Clark, a former top Trump administration official, told the Washington Times on Thursday.<\/p>\n
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\u201cMeanwhile, you get lectures about democracy,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
A source familiar with the DOJ investigation said that, for now anyway, Carroll is not a subject of the probe.<\/p>\n
Federal prosecutors in the Northern District of Illinois are investigating matters related to her deposition and perjury.<\/p>\n
However, the focus of the case is primarily on American Future Republic, a nonprofit organization funded by Hoffman.<\/p>\n
In 2020, his nonprofit paid Carroll\u2019s law firm $7 million, the Times reported.<\/p>\n
Despite being unable to identify the exact date\u2014or even the precise year\u2014when she alleged the incident occurred, Carroll won both civil lawsuits against Trump.<\/p>\n
Carroll also testified that she did not recall that Hoffman was helping finance at least one of the legal cases brought against Trump.<\/p>\n
The litigation unfolded during the height of the Republican presidential primary campaign, requiring Trump to spend substantial time in a Manhattan courtroom while simultaneously seeking his party\u2019s nomination, the Times noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just completely forgot,\u201d Carroll, now 82, told a CNN panel in May 2023, when asked why she failed to disclose under oath that Hoffmann paid her legal fees.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just completely forgot he even existed,\u201d she claimed.<\/p>\n
Hoffman played a significant role in Democratic political fundraising while also helping support litigation brought by Carroll against Trump.<\/p>\n
Hoffman has been one of Trump\u2019s most prominent political opponents for years, backing efforts to defeat him in 2016, 2020, and 2024.<\/p>\n
During the 2024 election cycle, he publicly committed substantial resources toward preventing Trump\u2019s return to the White House.<\/p>\n
Campaign finance records show Hoffman contributed at least $1 million to the Biden Victory Fund and $10 million to Future Forward during the 2024 cycle.<\/p>\n
He also donated an additional $4 million to Republican Accountability PAC, a group that supported efforts to block Trump from securing the Republican presidential nomination, the Times reported.<\/p>\n
Critics argue Hoffman\u2019s extensive political spending and opposition to Trump make his financial involvement in litigation against the former president worthy of scrutiny.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy primary motivation for participating in politics over the last eight years has been to oppose Donald Trump\u2019s ongoing attempts to break American democracy by corrupting and hollowing out its most cherished institutions,\u201d Hoffman said in August 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnlike some, I have not forgotten Trump\u2019s support of the Jan. 6 insurrection and its violence, nor his attempt to coerce state officials to \u2018find\u2019 him some more votes,\u201d Hoffman added.<\/p>\n
The DOJ and FBI are also investigating alleged nefarious activities since unearthed following the 2020 election, in which Biden reportedly received 81 million votes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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