The penalty part of Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll’s civil case in opposition to the previous president kicks off this week, and it ought to come as no shock that she is backed by recognized Democrat Occasion activists and mega-donor Reid Hoffman, who has supported Nikki Haley’s presidential marketing campaign.
Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn Corp., walks to the morning session through the Allen & Co. Media and Know-how Convention in Solar Valley, Idaho, on Friday, July 14, 2023. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg by way of Getty)
Carroll accused Trump of groping and raping her in a Bergdorf-Goodman dressing room within the mid-Nineteen Nineties, however as Breitbart Information reported in April, Trump is just not going through prison fees:
Somewhat, Carroll is searching for financial damages in addition to a retraction of remarks Trump beforehand made. She first got here ahead with the allegations in 2019 as she promoted her guide highlighting “hideous males” from her life. It’s titled, What Do We Want Males For? She claims to have been sexually assaulted nicely over a dozen occasions all through her life and filed this specific swimsuit in November after the Grownup Survivors Act went into impact, basically nixing the statute of limitations for this case. Notably, she sued Trump for defamation in 2019 as nicely.
Trump stood by his remarks, deeming Carroll’s accusations a “full con job,” and he has shared varied controversial social media posts from the author over the previous few weeks, showcasing his accuser’s hypocrisy.
“How are you aware your ‘undesirable sexual advance’ is undesirable, till you advance it?” one 2015 submit shared by Trump reads.
“Intercourse Tip I Discovered From My Canine: When in warmth, chase the male till he collapses with exhaustion … then leap him!” one other reads:
However, in September, U.S. Choose Lewis A. Kaplan dominated that Trump defamed Carroll in 2019 when he denied that he raped her. Carroll couldn’t bear in mind the yr of the alleged assault, and there have been no witnesses to again her claims. However as a result of the jury determined Trump was answerable for sexual battery and defaming Carroll, Kaplan deemed Trump’s remarks to be defamatory. The jury awarded her $5 million in damages. The second lawsuit, nonetheless, stems from feedback Trump made in 2019.
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It ought to come as no shock that these supporting Carroll are recognized Democrat Occasion activists, one in every of whom led the feminist “Time’s Up” motion. Additional, Choose Kaplan has shut connections to one in every of Carroll’s attorneys, Shawn Crowley.
As Breitbart Information detailed:
Certainly, one in every of Carroll’s attorneys is Roberta Kaplan — a Democrat Occasion activist who led the group Time’s Up. She left the activist group after it was revealed she was aiding former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in trying to discredit the Democrat’s accusers. It served as an ideal irony as Time’s Up seeks to defend ladies from what it claims is discrimination and harassment. This reality has led to mounting hypothesis that Kaplan solely will get concerned in instances that she views as politically expedient.
Additional, Federal District Choose Lewis Kaplan is overseeing the method and has connections to Carroll’s different lawyer, Shawn Crowley. She was truly a regulation clerk for Choose Kaplan, and he officiated her marriage ceremony.
That apart, Trump has denied understanding the left-wing activist as the one proof of any contact is a single image with Carroll greeting Trump and his ex-wife Ivana at an occasion greeting line over 35 years in the past. Carroll has but to offer strong proof of this alleged encounter and won’t use the costume that she claims had DNA on it from this alleged incident. Even Trump publicly mentioned the costume needs to be a part of the case. Additional, there are not any eyewitnesses of this alleged incident, which supposedly occurred on the standard New York Metropolis division retailer.
Moreover, Carroll is backed by Democrat mega-donor Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, who mentioned in March 2023 that he would “spend as a lot as I presumably can and it takes and is efficient [to beat Trump].” The New York Occasions reported that he helped pay for Carroll’s lawsuit, and he has confirmed that reality himself.
The billionaire, who admitted to visiting convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein’s personal island, has additionally donated tons of of 1000’s of {dollars} to the Stand for America PAC, which is backing Haley within the GOP major.
“So why Nikki Haley? Plainly, as a result of Governor Haley can also be the one Republican nominee apart from Trump with any likelihood of successful the GOP nomination,” Hoffman wrote, explaining his determination to again Haley.
He continued:
Whereas we’re combating to defend the concept of America from the specter of Trumpism, we have to interact with individuals with whom we disagree about many areas of coverage and tradition. Nikki Haley wouldn’t be nearly as good for America as Joe Biden, however America would survive her administration.
Additional, Hoffman’s chief political adviser Dmitri Mehlhorn overtly recognized their purpose as “weakening the political energy of the anti-American Trump-MAGA motion.”
That, purpose, nonetheless, has didn’t materialize as Trump pocketed a historic win within the Iowa caucuses, sarcastically in the identical week the penalty part of the anti-Trump trial kicks off.
The court docket proceedings this week will resolve the quantity of Trump’s damages. In accordance with NBC Information, “Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba mentioned in her opening assertion yesterday that Carroll didn’t endure damages from Trump’s remarks, however quite has gained fame and standing and sought to additional her profession along with her lawsuits.”
Trump appeared within the courtroom on Tuesday, the day after his historic Iowa victory. Carroll will testify on Wednesday.
Former President Donald Trump leaves his house constructing in New York, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. Trump plans to attend the penalty part of a New York civil defamation trial stemming from a columnist’s claims he sexually attacked her in a division retailer dressing room within the Nineteen Nineties. (Seth Wenig/AP)