E. Jean Carroll, Who Beat Trump in Court, Now Faces DOJ Criminal Investigation

The Justice Department has started a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the writer who won two civil cases against President Donald Trump. Prosecutors are looking into whether she lied under oath during her testimony related to the lawsuits.

According to Reuters, the inquiry centers on a 2022 deposition in which Carroll stated she had not received outside financial help for her legal action against Trump.

Later, Carroll’s lawyers revealed that Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, had assisted in paying some of her legal fees through a nonprofit organization.

The U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago is leading the investigation, according to Reuters, and the start of this probe does not mean Carroll will face charges.

A spokesperson for the Justice Department declined to comment on the story, and Carroll’s attorneys also chose not to comment.

Carroll, a former advice columnist for Elle magazine, accused Trump of sexually abusing her in a New York department store during the 1990s, to which Trump denies any wrongdoing.

In May 2023, a federal jury in Manhattan found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll and defaming her and the jury awarded Carroll $5 million.

A second jury in January 2024 ordered Trump to pay $83.3 million in a separate defamation case after ruling that his later comments about Carroll damaged her reputation.

Trump has appealed these judgments and he has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the $5 million verdict and has stated he will continue to fight the larger defamation award.

The perjury investigation relates to a funding issue that arose before the trial. Carroll claimed in her deposition that no one was other than herself funding her case.

Months later, her legal team informed the court and Trump’s lawyers that funding from Hoffman had covered some legal expenses.

Trump’s lawyers argued that this funding situation impacted Carroll’s credibility. Carroll’s attorneys stated that she had no ties to the nonprofit that assisted with the case, as reported by The Guardian. The judge allowed Trump’s lawyer to question Carroll again.

A three-judge federal appeals court panel in New York dismissed the claim that Carroll had lied in her deposition in 2024, according to The Guardian.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche recused himself from the investigation because he previously represented Trump in the Carroll case, according to multiple reports.

Blanche worked on Trump’s appeals before assuming his current role at the Justice Department.

This investigation unfolds while Carroll and Trump are still engaged in legal battles over the jury awards. Trump’s legal team continues to challenge the verdicts, while Carroll’s lawyers defend the judgments as valid findings by federal juries.

Carroll first made her accusation against Trump public in 2019. Trump denied it and claimed Carroll was “not my type,” remarks that became part of the defamation case.

The Justice Department inquiry introduces a new criminal aspect to a legal struggle that has already led to nearly $90 million in civil judgments against Trump.

Prosecutors now must decide if the issue around Carroll’s deposition testimony warrants charges or if the matter will conclude without an indictment.