The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a criminal inquiry into writer E. Jean Carroll, who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault, stemming from information about the involvement of American billionaire Reid Hoffman in the affair. This is according to CNN, citing sources.
The network’s information indicates that prosecutors are examining Carroll’s 2022 statement, in which she asserted she had not received any third-party funding for her civil lawsuits against Trump. It later emerged that billionaire and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman had partially covered her legal expenses.
“Senior Justice Department officials have referred the investigation to federal prosecutors in Chicago… While Carroll’s deposition took place in New York, one of those who helped cover some of her legal costs, Hoffman, has a non-profit organization based in Chicago,” CNN reports.
According to the television channel, Hoffman’s funding of the writer’s civil claims “caught Trump’s lawyers by surprise.” Carroll’s legal team maintained that she had never communicated with anyone from the billionaire’s non-profit organization.
Concurrently, Trump continues his protracted efforts to challenge the multi-million dollar damages awarded to Carroll. The U.S. Supreme Court periodically postpones its decision on whether to accept his appeal for review, the network adds.
In May 2023, a jury found Trump liable in Carroll’s civil lawsuit, in which she accused him of sexual abuse and defamation. Trump was ordered to pay the plaintiff five million dollars.
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