LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman accused President Trump of retaliation in the wake of reports the Justice Department is probing payments Hoffman’s nonprofit made to help E. Jean Carroll’s litigation against the commander-in-chief.
“Trump’s newest accusation of me is absurdly false,” Hoffman, a frequent critic of the president’s, wrote Thursday in a lengthy post on X.
The comments came after CNN reported that the Justice Department was probing Carroll for comments she’d made in 2022 saying she never received outside funding for her suits, though Hoffman’s nonprofit made some contributions to her legal defense. The DOJ rejected the report.
The Justice Department is, however, investigating Hoffman’s organization, according to Axios and other outlets.
Hoffman, a Democratic mega-donor, voiced indignation over the accounts.
“The premise of the investigation would be laughable if the subject matter weren’t so serious,” he wrote.
“Trump hopes that these fraudulent investigations will silence those who stand up to him. He is wrong. I will not bend the knee,” Hoffman added.
Hoffman last made headlines for appearing in the Justice Department’s release of files tied to late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Email correspondence between the two reflected a chummy relationship, though Hoffman has not been accused of wrongdoing tied to Epstein and has said he regrets the association.
Chicago’s top federal prosecutor denied that Carroll herself is under investigation.
“In light of widespread reporting and intense media and public interest into the E. Jean Carroll matter in New York, the Chicago US Attorney’s Office can confirm that it has not opened — and has never opened — a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll,” US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Andrew Boutros said Thursday.
In 2019, Carroll sued Trump for defamation over comments he made denying he sexually assaulted her decades earlier. She won the case and Trump was hit with $83.3 million in damages.
She sued again in 2022, with a court finding the president liable for sexual abuse and defamation and awarding Carroll $5 million.
Trump has strongly denied all of the allegations and continues to challenge the verdicts.
Neither Carroll nor Hoffman has been charged with a crime.
Both Carroll and the Justice Department declined to comment.
The Post has sought comment from Hoffman.