A former aide to President Donald Trump questioned why his administration was launching a criminal investigation of E. Jean Carroll, who successfully sued him twice for sexual assault and defamation, just months before crucial elections.
A jury found Trump liable in 2023 for sexually abusing the writer and columnist decades earlier, and he was also found liable for defamation over comments he made about her on social media.
Former White House director of strategic communications Alyssa Farah Griffin told "CNN News Central" the Department of Justice perjury investigation of Carroll, announced Wednesday, was a bemusing mistake.
"I willnever understand why thisadministration wants to put someof the worst associations of thepresident back in the headlines," Griffin said. "Most of us have kind offorgotten about the E. Jean Carroll suit, the allegations,what he was ultimately foundliable for, and now it puts itfront and center."
"It's verysimilar to the Jan. 6 cases,DOJ wants to keep rehashingthem," she added. "But then Republicans alsosay, 'Oh, Democrats keep talkingabout Jan. 6.' No, thispresident keeps talking aboutthe election lies, Jan. 6.So from purely a standpoint ofwanting to focus on his domesticagenda and move forward, thismakes zero sense."
Co-host John Berman asked what the administration got out of pursuing possible prosecution against Carroll.
"Absolutely nothing – it's nota headline that they want, andwe've seen a number of thesecases go forward," Griffin said. "James Comeyand others, where theyoverreach. DOJ was not able toget the outcome that theywanted, and I suspect this willbe a similar case, notfrom a legal perspective, butbased on what we know, thisshould be the last thing Donald Trump wants to talk about in thetwilight of his presidency. Heshould be focusing on the economy, gas prices, the war in Iran, not re-litigating this."