Lisa Bloom struck back hard against The Hill and “far right journalist” John Solomon on Friday, after Solomon and Hill reporter Alison Spann dropped a brutal exclusive revealing that Bloom often solicited payments for clients willing to accuse Donald Trump of sexual misconduct.
“A far right journalist*, who Washington Monthly called ‘the easiest mark in the business for GOP oppo research hits,’ along with other influencers on the far right, are trying to cast doubt on the very credible accusations of sexual harassment and assault against Donald Trump by creating a hit piece, suggesting that I offered women money to come up with stories against him,” said Bloom in a statement provided to TheWrap. “That is false.”
She called the piece, “a spurious article, written with the intention of casting doubt on the accusers.”
Bloom’s asterisk cites a number of reports critical of Solomon’s reporting from the Washington Monthly in addition to Columbia Journalism Review.
Bloom also directed fire at Bill O’Reilly who alluded to this matter on an episode of Glenn Beck’s podcast earlier this month. The former Fox News star went to town on The Hill report, giving it full court promotion on Twitter.
The lawyer who attacked me with phony charges, Lisa Bloom, now exposed for arranging payments to women. Please read this devastating article on @thehill – https://t.co/FZaqdQiCXO
— Bill O'Reilly (@BillOReilly) December 15, 2017
I told you guys from the very beginning that many allegations were false and politically driven. There is big money behind trying to destroy Mr. Trump, me and others.
— Bill O'Reilly (@BillOReilly) December 15, 2017
“Bill O’Reilly referenced this article a couple of days before it posted. I represented the three women who took down O’Reilly earlier this year and am currently in active litigation against him on behalf of another client. This is just his latest effort to try and discredit my clients and me,” said Bloom.
Nevertheless, the The Hill piece paints an unflattering portrait detailing how Bloom, who has represented four Trump accusers, attempted to arrange payments for them — and a commission for herself — from wealthy donors and tabloid media. One woman was ultimately offered $750,000.
In an original statement to The Hill, Bloom defended her action saying that they payments were intended to help the women and defray the costs she incurs by working pro bono. In her statement provided to TheWrap, Bloom elaborated on that line of thought.
“In pro bono cases (where we work for free or at sharply reduced fees), we add a line in our client agreements that if the client gets paid for media interviews our law firm gets one-third. This seems fair to us and our clients. We also say in the agreement itself that it’s extremely unlikely,” she said. “So it’s in our standard contracts, but rarely invoked.”
She continued: “Most people do not get paid for interviews. But some shows will offer a few thousand dollars to license photos, or for an appearance fee. When my client is a single mother, unemployed, in dire need of therapy, on the verge of bankruptcy or all of the above, she may choose to do an interview with the outlet that will compensate her. A few thousand dollars hardly levels the playing field against a billionaire like Donald Trump, but it helps a little, and I leave that decision to my client, after she’s been fully vetted for veracity.”
Bloom defended herself against accusations by one Trump accuser apparently connected to The Hill’s story, while saying she believes her accusations against Trump nonetheless. “It now appears that one of them, who at the end asked for large sums of money that the donors were not willing to pay, became frustrated and ultimately did not speak out, has since connected with Trump attorneys and this pro-Trump reporter to create a smear story about me,” Bloom said. “That’s disappointing, but also a byproduct of this line of work in our culture of anger and hate. Sadly, hurt people get used and manipulated by powerful forces. Despite all that, I still believe her corroborated allegations against Trump, which she repeats in this article, and hope she finds peace. She’s not going to find it by trying to drag down other Trump accusers or their lawyers.”
Finally, Bloom quoted Jill Harth, the first Trump accuser:
Having to retell my experiences of Donald Trump’s harassment is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. 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. As we were telling our stories, all of us were hit with frightening threats, hate, and lies dredged up by Trump’s investigators. Another accuser, who I knew and referred to Lisa, asked for monetary assistance so she could relocate. She kept changing her mind about whether she wanted to tell her story and ultimately she didn’t, which I understand. Lisa was patient and kind to her, as Lisa always was with me.
I’m terribly disappointed that anyone would suggest Lisa was trying to pay women to come up with stories. It’s simply not true. Lisa, pro bono, was trying to HELP, against a powerful billionaire who was elected even though 19 of us ultimately came out and accused him of sexual misconduct. These continued attacks on accusers and our lawyers is what makes it so hard for women to speak out, even now.