OPINION:
Thanks to the Washington Times, we know that billionaire Reid Hoffman, a strong opponent of President Trump, bankrolled E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuits against our commander in chief (“Democrat moneyman Reid Hoffman defiant as feds probe bankroll of sexual assault suit against Trump,” Web, May 29).
According to the Times piece, in an October 2022 deposition, Ms. Caroll “completely forgot” about Mr. Hoffman’s involvement when she testified under oath nobody was paying her legal fees. Her lawyers disclosed Mr. Hoffman’s payments in April 2023 and the trial judge refused to dismiss the litigation even though Mr. Hoffman’s involvement raised questions of motive and bias in the litigation.
The Justice Department said Ms. Carroll is not a target in its investigation of Mr. Hoffman’s involvement. Whether he’s a target or not, however, her conduct invites investigation.
By saying she “completely forgot” about Mr. Hoffman’s involvement, Ms. Carroll admitted that she previously knew about it. It’s likely that her lawyers submitted bills to her, so she was reminded on a continuing basis that someone was paying her fees. She certainly knew she wasn’t paying them.
Perjury is hard to prove, and I’m not saying Ms. Carroll committed it, but the matter warrants investigation.
The six-month delay between her false testimony and its disclosure to Mr. Trump’s lawyers may have been critical, for the trial judge may have been reluctant to dismiss litigation that was well under way by the time the false testimony was disclosed.
JIM DUEHOLM
Washington
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