Boutros Denies Criminal Probe of E. Jean Carroll as DOJ Scrutinizes Reid Hoffman-Linked Funding
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 29
Boutros Denies Criminal Probe of E. Jean Carroll as DOJ Scrutinizes Reid Hoffman-Linked Funding
11 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 29
Andrew Boutros said Thursday that his office “has never opened” a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, after reports a day earlier said the 82-year-old writer was a primary target.
The inquiry instead centers on American Future Republic, a nonprofit founded by Reid Hoffman that helped cover Carroll’s legal bills, and on whether her civil-case answers about that support were truthful.
Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general who represented Trump in one Carroll appeal, has recused himself, though people familiar with the matter said senior Justice Department officials in Washington are overseeing the case.
Hoffman called the inquiry retaliation against women who speak up, while critics said examining a sexual-abuse accuser fits a broader Trump-era pattern of using federal scrutiny against perceived enemies.
Carroll won $5 million in one 2023 trial, and an appeals court later upheld a judge’s decision to keep Hoffman-related funding evidence from jurors, saying she plausibly forgot the limited outside support.
Could this case redefine the financial risks for nonprofits backing challenges against powerful public figures?
Where is the legal line between funding access to justice and improperly influencing a lawsuit's outcome?
How will this inquiry into lawsuit funding reshape the booming, multi-trillion dollar private investment industry?