Trump Sends DOJ After His Victims

Summary

---

Legal AF by MeidasTouch – "Trump Sends DOJ After His Victims"

Date: May 29, 2026
Host: Michael Popok (with referenced co-hosts Ben Meiselas & Karen Friedman Agnifilo)

---

Episode Overview

This episode takes a sharp look at the Department of Justice under Trump’s influence, with a focus on the controversial criminal investigation launched against E. Jean Carroll—the writer who twice won civil claims of sexual abuse and defamation against Trump. Host Michael Popok dissects the legal developments, details the unusual pursuit of Carroll for supposed litigation finance “misrepresentation,” and criticizes Trump-allied DOJ head Todd Blanche’s unprecedented actions to target Trump’s perceived enemies.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. DOJ Weaponization Against Trump’s Victims and Enemies

Timestamp: 00:57 – 09:48

• Opening Critique:
  Michael Popok lambasts Todd Blanch, the new DOJ head, likening his “unethical and corrupt” approach to that of Pam Bondi, but notes Blanch acts “at a rapid pace in a way that would make even Pam Bondi blush.”

  "Todd Blanch will stop at nothing but to appease Donald Trump and go after his perceived political enemies." — Michael Popok [00:58]

• Targeting E. Jean Carroll:

  • Carroll, who won two federal cases of sex abuse and defamation against Trump (with $100M in judgments), is under DOJ criminal investigation in Chicago.
  • The investigation focuses on the arcane issue of “litigation finance”—suggesting Carroll may not have fully understood or disclosed how her lawsuit’s costs were covered.
  • Popok highlights the rarity of DOJ action around civil lawsuit finances, emphasizing that “you can count on no hands and no fingers the amount of times that the Department of Justice sticks its nose in...”

• The Political Motivation:
  Popok alleges this “elaborate tryout” is designed for Blanch to curry favor with Trump by prosecuting his enemies, questioning, “Are you now going to go after the Epstein survivors and victims and prosecute them?”

2. The E. Jean Carroll Lawsuit Funding Backstory

Timestamp: 04:20 – 09:48

• Legal Mechanics Explained:

  • Carroll’s attorney, Robby Kaplan, took her case on a contingency fee basis (lawyers are paid only if there’s a win).
  • Costs—such as court reporters or expert witnesses—were partially funded by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman to allow Kaplan’s small public interest firm to manage expensive cases.
  • Carroll hadn’t actively participated in or fully understood these financial arrangements—normal in complex litigation.

• Court Handling & Appeals:

  • Carroll’s funding was vetted at deposition and both trial and appellate courts (including the Second Circuit) found no issue:

    "Ms. Carroll testified that after her counsel informed her in September 2020 that she had received some outside funding, she did not speak with her counsel again until the spring of 2023, and didn't know who the funder was..." — Citing Second Circuit, paraphrased by Popok [07:32]

  • Judge Kaplan (no relation to attorney Kaplan) reviewed and rejected Trump’s attempt to make an issue of litigation funding, finding it irrelevant to Carroll’s credibility.

3. Political Theater & Judicial Outcomes

Timestamp: 10:00 – 14:03

• MAGA Media Distortion:
  Popok calls out right-wing media (referencing Tim Pool) for distorting facts about the trial and DOJ investigation:

  "MAGA, like podcaster Tim Pool... think, ‘Oh shit, she lied.’ No, no. Tim, welcome. Welcome to planet Earth. I’m sorry you didn’t follow any aspect of the trial." — Popok [09:10]

• Appeals and Supreme Court Reluctance:

  • Trump tried to appeal on immunity grounds (claiming comments were made as president), but this was “waived by Alina Haba... a long, long time ago.”
  • The Supreme Court has repeatedly refused to take up Trump's immunity claims in the Carroll case:

    “Twelve times, the Supreme Court has met in a conference to decide whether they're going to take up the case ... and have decided: Pass. Pass.” — Popok [14:03]

  • The hosts agree the judgments against Trump are solid and unlikely to be disturbed, even by a right-leaning Supreme Court.

4. Broader Context: DOJ Priorities & Accountability

Timestamp: 14:03 – 17:25

• Contrast in DOJ Action:

  • Popok argues the DOJ acts quickly against figures inconvenient to Trump, while dragging its heels on clear public interest crimes, such as killings by federal officers.
  • He condemns the DOJ's focus on Carroll’s case as a means for Trump to claim “See, my victim is under investigation,” despite conflicts of interest and lack of legal substance.

• Call to Action for Oversight:

  • The episode closes with a plea: Only strong congressional oversight can check this “out of control, rogue, corrupt DOJ led by Donald Trump and Todd Blanche.”

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On DOJ’s Rare Move:

  “You can count on no hands and no fingers the amount of times that the Department of Justice sticks its nose in and does a criminal investigation or prosecution of somebody about an arcane issue of litigation finance..."
  — Michael Popok [03:48]

• On Political Motivations:

  “This is just an elaborate tryout by Todd Blanche who's bringing prosecutions against Donald Trump’s perceived enemies at a record pace. Even Pam Bondi wouldn’t bring the Seashell indictment against FBI Director James Comey.”
  — Michael Popok [02:30]

• On Court Findings:

  “The Second Circuit Court of Appeals, in fact, said ... [Carroll] simply was not involved in the matter of who was or was not funding her litigation cost.”
  — Michael Popok (quoting the court) [07:32]

• On the Supreme Court’s Reluctance:

  “You know how many times the Supreme Court has kicked the can down the road and decided they do not want to hear the case? Twelve, including last Wednesday.”
  — Michael Popok [14:03]

• On Motive for Carroll’s Lawsuit:

  “Her courage is the reason she brought the case. Her wanting to do justice is the reason she brought the case. And you know who's got a hundred million-dollar judgment sitting in her back pocket? Her. Not Donald Trump.”
  — Michael Popok [16:40]

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:57] Host’s introduction and attack on DOJ head Todd Blanche for targeting E. Jean Carroll
• [04:20] Detailed explanation of E. Jean Carroll’s litigation financing and court findings
• [09:10] Critique of MAGA media’s distortion (Tim Pool, etc.)
• [12:29] Recollections from interview with E. Jean Carroll; update on her appellate situation
• [13:59] Supreme Court repeatedly refuses to hear Trump’s appeals for immunity
• [14:40] The imbalance in DOJ priorities; call for political oversight

---

Tone & Language

• Direct, candid, and hard-hitting: Michael Popok does not mince words in describing DOJ actions as corrupt and politically motivated.
• Legal precision with plain-English clarification: Explanations of contingency arrangements and court procedures remain accessible.
• Passionate advocacy: Closing with a call for oversight, reflecting strong opinions about the Department of Justice under Trump.

---

Conclusion

This episode delivers a pointed analysis of the unprecedented DOJ criminal probe into E. Jean Carroll’s trial financing and frames the move as a weaponization of justice against victims and critics of Trump. Michael Popok critically examines the legal merits, judicial response, and underlying political agenda, making the case that such tactics are both rare and deeply concerning for the rule of law.

---

Transcript

[Bloomberg Announcer]

Some follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money because behind every headline is a bottom line, whether it's the funds fueling AI or crypto's trillion dollar swings. There's a money side to every story. And when you see the money side, you understand what others miss. Get the money side of the story. Subscribe [e-mail].

[American Express Advertiser]

With the new Mylo's Pro Rewards American Express card. Earn 3 points per dollar spent on Lowe's qualifying purchases for the first six months after card account opening. Plus save 5% every day on eligible purchases at Lowe's and earn points on eligible purchases everywhere else. Amex is accepted. Card members get more at Lowe's, subject to credit approval. 5% can't be combined with any other offer. Exclusions and restrictions apply. Points subject to loyalty terms@lowe's.com terms and credit reward [e-mail] MLPRA terms visit lowe's.com

[Michael Popak]

businesscra well, if you're wondering who could be more unethical and corrupt as a Department of justice head than Pam Bondi, I think we now have our answer. It is Todd Blanch who will stop at nothing but to appease Donald Trump and go after his perceived political enemies. He's doing it at a rapid pace in a way that would make even Pam Bondi blush. And now we've got the latest example. An investigation has been opened in Chicago by criminal prosecutors against E. Jean Carroll, who won not one but two sex abuse and defamation federal cases against Donald Trump. Ones that the Supreme Court doesn't look like they want to touch with a 10 foot pole proving that he not only sexually Donald Trump not only sexually abused Aegean Carroll but then defamed her. She's got $100 million worth of judgments in her back pocket. She's got two separate juries and 180 that believed her story over any cockamamie story story of Donald Trump. A series of people who were sex abuse victims testified in those cases. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed it and found no reversible error. And on the issue that they are using to try to besmirch the reputation of Eugene Carroll and I think her lawyer Robbie Kaplan, who I know well has been on the show with us a number of times. I think she should bring another defamation case because now they're claiming that Eugene Carroll didn't understand the economic finances around her lawsuit and who was paying for the cost, not the fees. Who was paying for the costs in an indirect way? Are you kidding me? You can count on no hands and no fingers the amount of times that the Department of Justice sticks its nose in and does a criminal investigation or prosecution of somebody about an arcane issue of litigation finance that came up in a civil lawsuit. This isn't about the civil rights of Donald Trump. What's next? Is the Todd Blanche, I'm asking you, are you now going to go after the Epstein survivors and victims and prosecute them? This is just an elaborate tryout by Todd Blanche who's bringing prosecutions against Donald Trump's perceived enemies at a record pace. Even Pam Bondi wouldn't bring the Seashell indictment against FBI Director James Comey. Even she wouldn't bring the indictment against the Southern Poverty Law center, the leading anti hate group in America. But Todd Blanche has, along with the 1776 fund, to give money to people that beat up on police. And now we're looking into E. Jean Carroll. And if anybody out there actually believes, and you can put it in notes here, that Todd Blanche has recused himself from the investigation because he was Donald, one of Donald Trump's personal lawyers against Eugene Carroll in that very civil case about sex abuse. Tell me in comments that you really believe that story. Cuz that's what they've announced. Now the issue, by the way, I'm Michael Popak. You're on Midas Touch and Legal af. The issue that it's at the heart of the matter has already been fully vetted, litigated. Donald Trump got more than his day in court on it. He got multiple days in court on it. At some point during the original deposition of E. Jean Carroll in 2022 by Alina Haba, she was asked if anybody else was funding her lawsuit. Now, we all know from the trial and from reporting that Robby Kaplan's law firm took the case on a contingency fee. I take cases on contingency fee. That means only if there is a recovery does the lawyer get a fee and it's a percentage of the total recovery. That's it. No recovery, no fee, despite how much money or time the lawyer may have invested. That's attorney's fees. Separately, there's something called costs, which is sort of what it sounds like. It's the cost. That's the court reporters, it's the copy services, it's the electronic data management people. It is experts, economic experts or accident reconstruction experts or psychological emotional experts, whatever it is that relates to liability or damage in a case. And they're expensive you're talking about. It could be a half a million to a million dollars in experts, sometimes under the fee arrangement with a client, you'll have a deal where the lawyer says, you know what? I think this is a good case. I'm going to lay out the money myself and I'll get the recovery on the cost up front if we win. If we don't, I'm out of pocket sometimes. I've done this as well. You have the plaintiff participate in the cost skin in the game. Maybe they're, maybe they're wealthy, maybe they have money. So you have them contribute. In the case of Robbie Kaplan, because her law firm did a lot of public interest work, a lot of free pro bono work or contingency fee work, she needed a way to defray costs for her relatively small firm. Reid Hoffman of LinkedIn fame, he founded LinkedIn, contributed, apparently, according to Robbie's office, contributed money to be used to defray costs for these cases that Robbie Kaplan would take on. Okay, so she wasn't underwater or upside down in the cases. That's between Robbie and Reid Hoffman. The fact that the, I mean, I'm sure Robbie told Eugene Carroll somewhere in an agreement somewhere or in a, in a, in passing about the, about the arrangement, but that doesn't mean that the, you know, this 82 year old plaintiff would remember that necessarily. It's complicated. So she was asked, she denied it. About a week or two later, right before the trial, Robby Kaplan, as an officer of the court, informed Judge Kaplan, no relation that, that Eugene Carroll didn't quite understand the economics, that there was a fund contributed by this guy's charity, Reid Hoffman, out of Chicago, and that part of that cost defrayment went out of, came out of that fund for her case. Judge says, okay, great, I'll give one more deposition to Donald Trump. Bring it back to me. Let me see if you can convince me this is relevant to the trial or her credibility. They went through the deposition, judge reviewed it and said, nope, not coming into the trial. Doesn't do anything to undermine her credibility. It's a very arcane issue about economics of a law, of a law engagement. Not coming in that actually got appealed by Donald Trump. He did multiple appeals in the two separate E. Jean Carroll cases, both of which he lost. Okay. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals, in fact, said the following in their, in one of their rulings concerning the appeal. Here's what they, here's what they said. Here's what the 2nd Circuit said. Let me get it up on the screen for you, Ms. Carol. This is from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Plausibly represented that she had forgotten about the limited outside funding Counsel obtained in September 2020, when this question was first posed to her in 2022, and the additional discovery in the case did not indicate otherwise. Rather, it showed that Ms. Carol said simply was not involved in the matter of who was or was not funding her litigation cost. Um. Ms. Carroll testified that after her counsel informed her in September 2020 that she had received some outside funding, she did not speak with her counsel again until the spring of 2023, and didn't know who the funder was or the funder's political position or why they were partially funding her lawsuit. So when she gave her deposition, she had not spoken to her counsel in over two years about the issue. Now, maga. Maga, like podcaster Tim Pool, think. Who never followed the trial like we did on Legal af, who we followed every day, every minute of the trial, including having reporting from inside the trial, okay? And he oh shit, she lied. No, no. Tim, welcome. Welcome to planet Earth. I'm sorry you didn't follow any aspect of the trial to Judge Kaplan's evaluation of that specific issue about who paid the costs and the determination by multiple courts, including the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, that there's nothing there. And again, you can count on no fingers and no hands how many times the Department of Justice has ever prosecuted somebody for getting how their case was financed wrong.

[Honeylove Advertiser]

All right, let's be real. Who likes wearing a bra? Nobody. Especially when you're working out, right? Sports bras are terrible to wear most of the time. And they, whether it's the that they dig into your shoulders on the straps, or the band rolls up and feels too tight around your rib cage or, you know, whatever it is, they're a pain to put on, they're a pain to take off, and they're so uncomfortable. But Honeylove has this sports bra that is different and they have this wonderful new product called the Honeylove Cross Flex Activity Bra. And it immediately felt different from every other sports bra that I've worn. It feels like a sports bra with a support, but it's also designed for all day wear. And it's supportive without feeling too tight, too stiff or suffocating. It has easy to take on and take off. And it's wireless using their technology called Cloud Fuse, so there's no poking or digging or pressure points, which is actually what I love the most about it. And it gives you, of course, great shape and separation instead of that uniboob look that sports bras can often give you. So if you find yourself reaching for a sports bra on a daily basis and you are because you need the coverage and you need the support, but you're looking for something comfortable that you could also wear all day. I highly recommend the Honeylove Crossflex Activity Bra as the solution you've been searching for. So it's really fantastic. They are now offering a crossover triple triple bra bundle so if you want a full refresh on your top drawer, you can get a huge savings by buying three at once. They are an independent female founded brand with products designed by women who actually wear them, including the founder Betsy. Honeylove doesn't just make bras and shapewear. They've built a full line of tanks, bodysuits and underwear with supportive structure, smoothing fabrics and premium finishes. And they recently launched their new Crossover Contour bra which features their best selling wireless crossover bra Design plus plus built in molded light foam pads for extra support and beautifully contoured shape. Treat yourself to the most advanced bras and shapewear on the market. Use our exclusive link to save 20% off [e-mail] legalaf that's honeylove.com legalaf and after you check out they'll ask where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them Legal AF sent you experience the new standard in comfort and support with Honeylove.

[Michael Popak]

I want to just give you a little bit of a flavor of E. Jean Carroll. I've had the honor of interviewing her on Legal AF and we're going to get it. We're going to try to get her and Robby Kaplan back on the show as well. About this new matter. Here's a clip of me with E. Jean Carroll.

[Honeylove Advertiser]

Where does the case stand right now at this point?

[Legal AF Host 2]

Yeah, that's what I wanted to know. Well, Michael, what do you think? Take it away.

[Legal AF Host 3]

I think the two appeals that he's

[Michael Popak]

tried at the 2nd Circuit based on

[Legal AF Host 3]

the panels, including Judge Chen, who I know pretty well, they've rejected him. He's not going to be able to assert immunity which was waived by Alina Haba and others a long, long time ago. And a long, long time ago as as referenced in the backto back oral arguments that Robbie so successfully argued in the last month or so. I don't see the United States Supreme Court, even this MAGA right wing court, being that interested in events that happened when he was Citizen Trump, when he attacked you and defamed you at all. There's only one event or one series of events that happened when he was even president, which was the defamation after the fact. I just don't see this court in a civil matter having given him carte blanche in the criminal world, even they bailing him out and trying to do anything to undermine your judgments. That's my opinion.

[Legal AF Host 2]

I concur. I looking good.

[Michael Popak]

All right, now, so fully vetted at the trial court level, at the appellate level. And now let's talk about the United States Supreme Court. Because Donald Trump has been trying to get the United States Supreme Court to let him off the hook. Not because he claims he didn't do it, not because he claims he's not a sexual abuser, which the jury9.0 found. Found that he was. And today, if that same grand jury was presented the evidence, they would have found that he was a rapist. Because of a change in the law at the time, Eugene Carroll couldn't testify about whether he put his penis inside of her or not. And the jury was like, well, we're gonna have to go with sexual abuse then, because, you know, she wasn't clear on that part of the testimony. That's the only thing that is. She wasn't unclear that she was unclear about the. The. The appeal to the Supreme Court is arguing immunity, which the second Circuit Court of appeals ruled was waived by Alina Haba. Remember when she used to be his lawyer along with Todd Blanche. You know how many times the Supreme Court has kicked the can down the road and decided they do not want to Hear the case? 12, including last Wednesday, 12 times the Supreme Court has met in a conference to decide whether they're going to take up the case of immunity. And e. Jean Carroll and a sexual abuse proven by a jury and have decided. Pass. Pass. And, you know, but. But what has it accomplished? A couple of things. Let's look. Let's pull back the curtain. Right? Todd Blanch will do and say anything in order to get the top job. That's what he's doing. He's doing the things that even Pam Bondi wouldn't do. And that's saying a lot, including this opening this prosecution. He should be ashamed of himself. As I said at the top of this hot take, what's next? The Epstein survivors are gonna be investigated and prosecuted. Does it surprise you? You know, two people are murdered on the streets of Minnesota in interactions with ICE while they were peacefully protesting Renee Goode and Alex Preddy. And they're investigating Renee Goode. We're still waiting on the federal criminal investigation of the federal officers that murdered people on the streets of America. We're waiting on that. But no, let's open it up against Eugene Carroll so that Donald Trump has a talking point. See, my victim and I have nothing to do with this. Even though I've own and control the Department of Justice. They're opening up an investigation about whether she lied about and who cares whether she did or she didn't. Who cares whether Reid Hoffman deferred the copying costs for her case. What does that have to do with anything? It's not the reason she brought the case. Her courage is the reason she brought the case. Her wanting to do justice is the reason she, she, she brought the case. And you know who's got a hundred million dollar of judgment sitting in her back pocket? Her. Not Donald Trump. Anyway, we'll continue to follow it right here. And let's get the Democrats into power with the gavel so they can provide appropriate oversight over this out of control, rogue, corrupt Department of Justice led by Donald Trump and Todd Blanche. Till my next report, come over to Legal AF YouTube channel and hit the free subscribe button. I'm Michael Popak.

[Legal AF Substack Promoter]

Can't get your fill of Legal af?

[Michael Popak]

Me neither.

[Legal AF Substack Promoter]

That's why we formed the Legal AF substack. Every time we mention something in a hot take, whether it's a court filing or a or come over to the substack, you'll find the court filing and the oral argument there, including a daily roundup that I do called wait for it Morning af. What else? All the other contributors from Legal A for there as well. We got some new reporting, we got interviews, we got ad free versions of the podcast and hot takes where Legal AF on substack. Come over now to free subscribe.