Reid Hoffman is accusing President Donald Trump of retaliation.
The LinkedIn cofounder and Democratic donor responded on Friday to reports that the Justice Department is investigating issues tied to his financial support for E. Jean Carroll’s litigation against Trump, calling the scrutiny “absurdly false” and accusing the president of using the federal government to punish his critics.
“Trump cannot be allowed to use the full weight and power of the US Government to come after women who speak up, or anyone who supports them in doing so,” Hoffman wrote in a five-part thread on X.
His comments came after multiple outlets reported that the DOJ opened a criminal investigation related to Carroll’s civil lawsuits against Trump.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the department was investigating whether Carroll committed perjury. The Washington Post, Reuters, and other outlets reported that the probe was focused more specifically on American Future Republic, a nonprofit backed by Hoffman that helped fund some of Carroll’s legal expenses.
Carroll, a writer and former advice columnist, won two civil judgments against Trump.
In 2023, a Manhattan federal jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and awarded Carroll $5 million. In 2024, another jury ordered Trump to pay Carroll another $83.3 million for defaming her. Trump has repeatedly denied Carroll’s allegations and appealed the judgments.
The reported scrutiny on Hoffman’s nonprofit appears to center on a 2022 deposition in which Carroll said no one was paying her legal fees. Her lawyers later disclosed that funds from American Future Republic helped cover some litigation costs nearly a year after she filed the lawsuit.
Trump’s lawyers argued that the disclosure showed Carroll had lied under oath; the judge overseeing Carroll’s lawsuits ruled the funding had no bearing on her credibility and blocked questions about it at trial.
Hoffman framed the reported investigation as retaliation.
“He is investigating me because I supported E Jean’s lawsuit — where a jury found Trump liable for sexually assaulting her, and a court of appeals upheld the decision,” Hoffman wrote. “Trump hopes that these fraudulent investigations will silence those who stand up to him. He is wrong. I will not bend the knee.”
Representatives for Hoffman, Carroll, and the White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. The DOJ told Business Insider it does not comment on investigations.
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