Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn and a billionaire Democratic donor, has been revealed as the mystery funder behind E. Jean Carroll’s sexual assault lawsuit against former President Donald Trump.
This revelation comes after years of speculation and was disclosed in “last-minute” correspondence between lawyers for both sides.
According to reports, Hoffman has not only been quietly bankrolling Carroll’s rape suit against Trump, but he has also made it his mission to weaken Trump’s position as the de facto leader of the Republican Party.
Hoffman’s distaste for Trump’s authoritarian and anti-democratic tendencies has even strained his personal relationship with another Silicon Valley staple, Peter Thiel, who has fashioned himself as a bankroller of right-wing causes.
Trump’s legal team, led by Amina Habba and Joe Tacopina, are now seeking to delay the trial, which is set to begin soon, in light of the news that Hoffman is behind the suit.
Habba and Tacopina claimed in a letter to the federal judge overseeing the case that Carroll perjured herself, citing an October deposition in which she claimed no one else was funding her lawyers.
The revelation of Hoffman’s identity has sparked renewed scrutiny of Carroll’s lawsuit against Trump, which was filed in 2019 and alleges that Trump raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s.
Trump has denied the allegations, calling them “totally false” and claiming that he never met Carroll.
Critics have argued that the timing of the revelation of Hoffman’s identity is suspicious, coming just weeks before the trial is set to begin. Some have even suggested that the entire lawsuit is politically motivated, aimed at damaging Trump’s reputation and weakening his position within the Republican Party.
Others, however, argue that the lawsuit is a legitimate attempt to hold Trump accountable for his alleged misconduct and that Hoffman’s involvement is no different than that of any other wealthy donor who funds legal cases.
Regardless of one’s views on the matter, it is clear that the revelation of Hoffman’s identity has added another layer of complexity to an already fraught legal battle.
As the trial approaches, it remains to be seen how Hoffman’s involvement will impact the outcome of the lawsuit and what the long-term implications will be for Trump, Carroll, and the broader political landscape.
One thing is certain, however: the revelation of Hoffman’s identity has made it clear that the fight over Trump’s legacy is far from over, and that wealthy donors like Hoffman will continue to play a significant role in shaping the future of American politics.