Crucial Quote
“Trump hopes that these fraudulent investigations will silence those who stand up to him,” Hoffman wrote on X on Friday, referring to the reported probe into him and other criminal investigations the DOJ has launched against Trump’s enemies. “He is wrong. I will not bend the knee.”
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What To Watch For
It’s unclear how far along the DOJ’s reported investigation into Hoffman is, though The Times reports it’s overseen by “top officials” at the agency with the exception of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who reportedly recused himself from the probe given he formerly served as Trump’s personal attorney. The DOJ is handling the investigation through its office in Chicago, according to The Washington Post, and is considering potential charges of money laundering, obstruction and conspiracy. It remains to be seen whether the investigation will actually result in any charges, which would have to be approved by a grand jury, and how long it could take before any indictment could come out. The Post reports it’s also still possible the criminal probe could eventually examine Carroll and result in charges against her, though she’s not a subject of the investigation at this point.
Hoffman’s Connection To Carroll, Explained
Hoffman and American Future Republic helped to pay legal expenses in Carroll’s case, and The Post reports the DOJ is investigating whether the nonprofit may have directed Carroll to lie in her deposition about the funding. Dmitri Mehlhorn, an advisor to Hoffman, previously claimed the billionaire donated money to the nonprofit before Carroll’s lawsuits were filed and did not know his money would be spent on those cases specifically, and alleged clients that receive funds through the nonprofit typically don’t know where they came from. Carroll’s attorneys have maintained she never spoke with the nonprofit and did not intentionally fail to disclose the funding, alleging she only later recalled “her counsel at some point secured additional funding from a nonprofit organization to cover certain expenses and fees.” Trump’s attorneys used Hoffman’s involvement as an argument to fight the litigation and have it thrown out, and Carroll sat for another deposition on the topic, though that has never been released publicly. The argument over Hoffman’s donations didn’t hurt Carroll’s ability to win her litigation against Trump, however, and the president’s attorneys were barred from discussing it at trial.
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Key Background
The reported investigation into Hoffman and Carroll is the latest in a string of investigations the DOJ has opened into the president’s political enemies. Those investigations have already led to charges against Trump rivals like former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James and former White House advisor John Bolton, and other Trump critics reportedly under investigation include former Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell and Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., among others. None have yet been successful. No one has gone to trial or been convicted of any crimes, and multiple grand juries and judges have rejected indictments, resulting in charges not able to be brought or cases being thrown out. The slew of investigations has prompted widespread criticism that Trump is purposely targeting his political enemies as “retribution,” rather than because of legitimate allegations of wrongdoing, after the president was himself indicted multiple times during his years out of office.
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Further Reading
ForbesWhat Was Reid Hoffman’s Role In Funding E. Jean Carroll’s Case?By Ana Faguy
ForbesTrump’s E. Jean Carroll Investigation Comes Amid Last-Ditch Effort To Get Out Of Paying $100 MillionBy Alison Durkee
This story is breaking and will be updated.