The Department of Justice is launching a criminal investigation that involves E. Jean Carroll, who previously accused President Donald Trump of sexual abuse.
CNN reported that the Department of Justice is looking into whether Carroll, 82, committed perjury in testimony from her two civil lawsuits against the president. Carroll previously sued Trump, 79, for allegedly sexually assaulting her in a department store dressing room in the ‘90s and for defaming her in 2019 when denying the allegations.
The Justice Department’s investigation focuses on a statement Carroll made during a 2022 deposition. The journalist stated that she received no outside funding for her lawsuit. However, it was later revealed that billionaire Reid Hoffman paid some of her legal fees and expenses via his nonprofit.
Attorney General Todd Blanche has recused himself from the probe, per the outlet. Before replacing Pam Bondi, Blanche worked as one of Trump’s personal attorneys on the Carroll case. The investigation will be helmed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago.
A source with knowledge of the case tells Us Weekly that Carroll is “not the subject of the investigation.”
“The investigation is related to her deposition and perjury but it’s more focused on Reid Hoffman’s nonprofit,” the insider explains.
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice told Us that they “do not comment on investigations.”
Us has reached out to Carroll’s spokesperson for comment.
Carroll and Trump’s legal issues began in 2019 when the journalist accused him of rape. Trump vehemently denied the allegations while claiming that Carroll wasn’t his type and subsequently accused her of making up the alleged assault to boost sales of her book.
Trump and Carroll went to trial for the first lawsuit in 2023. A jury found that Carroll had not proven that Trump raped her, but she did prove that Trump was responsible for a lesser degree of sexual abuse. They also found that Trump defamed Carroll with false statements made with actual malice. Carroll was awarded $5 million in damages from Trump. Later that year, Trump appealed the verdict and the judge denied his request for a new trial.
One year later, Trump and Carroll were back in court for her defamation lawsuit. In January 2024, the jury awarded Carroll $11 million for damage to her reputation, $7.3 million for emotional harm and $65 million in punitive damages.
After news broke of the outcome, Trump took to social media to slam the ruling.
“Absolutely ridiculous! I fully disagree with both verdicts, and will be appealing this whole [Joe] Biden Directed Witch Hunt focused on me and the Republican Party,” he wrote via Truth Social. “Our Legal System is out of control, and being used as a Political Weapon. They have taken away all First Amendment Rights. THIS IS NOT AMERICA!”
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