According to an extensive report from The Hill, during the closing months of the 2016 presidential election, prominent women’s rights attorney Lisa Bloom (the daughter of Gloria Allred) sought cash for women who had accused or were considering accusing Donald Trump of sexual misconduct.
Interviews and documents obtained by The Hill reveal that Bloom sought cash from donors and tabloid outlets for potential accusers and for herself. It was also suggested that pro-Hillary political action committees were in on the effort, too, according to text messages sent by Bloom to one alleged victim:
Bloom’s efforts included offering to sell alleged victims’ stories to TV outlets in return for a commission for herself, arranging a donor to pay off one Trump accuser’s mortgage and attempting to secure a six-figure payment for another woman who ultimately declined to come forward after being offered as much as $750,000, the clients told The Hill.
The women’s accounts were chronicled in contemporaneous contractual documents, emails and text messages reviewed by The Hill, including an exchange of texts between one woman and Bloom that suggested political action committees supporting Hillary Clinton were contacted during the effort.
Bloom has represented two women who have publicly accused President Trump of sexual misconduct, and two others who’ve declined to come forward, for now. She’s also represented clients who have accused former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly and comedian Bill Cosby of sexual misconduct. The famous lawyer, who purports to stand for women, made headlines earlier this year by defending alleged serial sexual harasser and assaulter (including alleged rape) Harvey Weinstein.
Bloom has “acknowledged she engaged in discussions to secure donations for women who made or considered making accusations against Trump before last year’s election,” said The Hill, according to a statement from the attorney.
“Donors reached out to my firm directly to help some of the women I represented,” she said.
“Bloom said her goal in securing money was not to pressure the women to come forward, but rather to help them relocate or arrange security if they felt unsafe during the waning days of a vitriolic election. She declined to identify any of the donors,” said the report.
Contracts between alleged victims and Bloom generally require women to pay her commissions, as much as 33%, if she successfully sold their accounts of events to media outlets.
Bloom denied any coordination with the Hillary Clinton campaign during the 2016 election but refused to address alleged coordination with pro-Hillary super PACs:
Bloom told The Hill she had no contact with Clinton or her campaign, but declined to address any contacts with super PACs that supported the Democratic presidential nominee.
One such accuser, makeup artist Jill Harth, spoke to The Hill about her interactions with Bloom.
“I consider myself lucky to have had Lisa Bloom by my side after my old lawsuit resurfaced. She advised me with great competence and compassion,” said Harth.
Bloom set up a payment for Harth after licensing photos to media outlets; she also set up a GoFundMe account.
“Jill put herself out there, facing off with Donald Trump,” wrote Bloom’s husband on the GoFundMe, which raised over $2,300. “Let’s show her some love.”
As noted by Fox News, “Bloom also reportedly arranged for a Clinton donor to help Harth pay off the mortgage on her Queens apartment. The amount was under $30,000, according to a source directly familiar with Harth’s situation. Public records show Harth’s mortgage was recorded as extinguished on Dec. 19, 2016, public records show.”
Trump has denied all accusations of sexual harassment and assault.