Media Caught in Another Lie

Reports of a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll spread like a California wildfire--until the U.S. Attorney in Chicago debunked their claims. And the legit target gets cover, for now.

Sympathy poured in from all corners of the press and social media Thursday on behalf of E. Jean Carroll, the crazy woman who accused the president of sexually assaulting her in the 1990s. (I won’t get into the details of her alleged account or her successful lawsuits but plenty on the public record for those interested or uninformed.)

Last night, CNN posted an “exclusive” report claiming Carroll is the subject of a Department of Justice investigation based out of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois (Chicago) office. “The investigation is focused on whether Carroll committed perjury in testimony tied to her two civil lawsuits against the president,” three CNN reporters wrote in a May 27 article. “Prosecutors’ theory hinges on a 2022 deposition statement by Carroll, 82, that she received no outside funding for her lawsuit, though it was later revealed that billionaire Reid Hoffman had paid some legal fees and expenses.” The reporters further claimed that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche recused himself from the matter since he had handled appeals related to the Carroll case.

CNN’s claims immediately spread like a Karen Bass-style California wildfire on X-verse and cable news. Roger Parloff, a legal analyst for Lawfare blog, run by Trump hater and James Comey whisperer Ben Wittes, lamented the cruelty of it all. “Doesn’t get worse than this. DOJ probes 82 yo who is enemy & adjudicated victim of Trump,” Parloff posted on Thursday morning. Never mind that President Trump was indicted twice at age 77 by the Biden DOJ and, had Parloff gotten his way and the president had lost the election, he very well could have been imprisoned at age 80 on Jack Smith’s J6 indictment.

Every major news organization followed hot on CNN’s trail. The New York Times described the investigation into Carroll as “the latest chapter in Mr. Trump’s retribution campaign, which has been carried out by Justice Department officials.” ABC News, Reuters, Time magazine (yes, it’s still around), the Associated Press, “Good Morning America,” and local Chicago press diligently regurgitated the reporting. Democratic lawmakers and their influencers pack piled on:

The most gullible and eager NeverTrumper also preached about the injustice of it all:

Even Mark Zaid, the Disney-loving attorney who imagines a crime in every Trump move, defended Carroll:

You get the drift.

But on Thursday evening, U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros shot down those claims:

Boutros, a Trump appointee, made for an easy target of the anti-Trump machine. He has been the subject of recent media fire for his office’s handling of the so-called “Broadview Six” case brought against several anti-ICE protesters last year. Although the investigation was apparently mishandled by a longtime DOJ prosecutor who quickly left the office post-indictment and then detailed to the Democratic side of the Senate Judiciary Committee (and just fired for her role in the questionable grand jury proceedings called out by a Chicago judge as I posted here), the media is making Boutros the fall guy. (In response to what he’s uncovered at his office, Boutros this week announced a series of reforms.)

After Boutros’ statement, the media backtracked. Turns out, the investigation is targeting longtime Trump nemesis Reid Hoffman—the billionaire founder of LinkedIn and funder of several anti-Trump causes—who bankrolled Carroll’s lawsuits to the tune of $7 million. His “nonprofit,” as the media generously describes it, is based in Chicago. CNBC reported Hoffman is the subject of a money-laundering operation.

CBS News best demonstrated the change in tone of the inquiry, as I posted here:

‘Some” of her legal expenses?? Hoffman has boasted about his funding of the case:

And Carroll, once again, blamed her faulty memory for the “oversight” of Hoffman’s financial backing:

So what to make of this media op? A set up by the DOJ to smoke out leakers? A coordinated effort to redirect attention away from Hoffman, a generous benefactor to the lawfare against the president, and immediately discredit the investigation by claiming it’s aimed at one of Trump’s “perceived enemies?” Just another example of a dangerous and dishonest echo chamber not just to damage the DOJ but contribute to what we know is ongoing jury nullification in big cities?

Further, this is not to say Carroll’s false statements are not under review by another jurisdiction. Even an all-Democratic appellate panel in 2024 acknowledged her “misstatements” but determined they were irrelevant. (Opinion here.)

As we await more developments, this onslaught is yet another example of the media’s complicity and corruption.