The Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into whether E. Jean Carroll committed perjury during her civil lawsuits against President Trump. The probe centers on Carroll's 2022 deposition statement that she received no outside funding for her legal battles. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois are leading the effort, according to sources familiar with the matter.
CNN first reported the development on Wednesday night. The department has not confirmed the investigation's existence.
Carroll, 82, told investigators in her October 2022 deposition that she accepted no outside financial support. Six months later, her attorneys notified the judge and Trump's lawyers that a nonprofit funded by Reid Hoffman had covered some legal fees and expenses. Carroll never met or spoke with anyone from the nonprofit, her lawyers stated.
Hoffman, the billionaire co-founder of LinkedIn, provided the backing after Carroll had already filed her suits. In a May 2023 interview, Hoffman said his team reviewed the case and decided her voice should be heard because she was challenging someone far more wealthy and powerful. "We didn't encourage the lawsuit to happen, we only got on board after she'd already filed," Hoffman told the Washington Post.
A 2023 jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, awarding Carroll $5 million in damages. The jury determined Trump sexually abused Carroll in a New York department store dressing room in the mid-1990s but did not find him liable for rape. A separate 2024 jury held Trump liable for additional defamation tied to his 2019 comments about Carroll and ordered him to pay $83.3 million.
Both judgments were upheld on appeal. Trump has appealed the damages awards and repeatedly denied the sexual assault allegations. Carroll first detailed her accusation in a 2019 New York Magazine story drawn from her book What Do We Need Men For?
A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled in December 2024 that Carroll had plausibly represented she had forgotten about the limited outside funding when first asked in 2022. The court noted Carroll had not spoken with her counsel about the funding for over two years by the time of her deposition. "It showed that Ms. Carroll simply was not involved in the matter of who was or was not funding her litigation costs," the panel wrote.
The appeals court also observed that Carroll did not know the funder's political position or why the nonprofit was partially funding her lawsuit. Trump's attorneys had raised the funding issue during the appeal process. The court allowed a second deposition by Trump's attorney Alina Habba after the funding disclosure.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche recused himself from the Carroll investigation because he represented Trump in some of the related litigation. Blanche's prior role created a clear conflict. Sources confirmed the recusal to both CNN and the New York Times.
The probe fits a pattern in which the Justice Department has opened investigations into individuals perceived as Trump's political opponents. Those targeted have included former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Democratic members of Congress Adam Schiff and Ilhan Omar. None of those investigations has produced convictions so far.
The investigation raises fresh questions about how plaintiffs in high-profile cases against powerful figures secure legal support. Hoffman emphasized that his involvement came only after Carroll initiated legal action and that the goal was to prevent her case from being squashed by unequal resources.
The department and Carroll's legal team have not released additional details about the scope of the current criminal inquiry. Sources stressed that the launch of a probe does not guarantee charges will be filed against the 82-year-old writer. Carroll's original 2019 defamation suit had stalled in court before she added the sexual abuse claim under New York's Adult Survivors Act in 2022.
The case rests on the discrepancy between her initial statement and the subsequent revelation about Hoffman's nonprofit. Trump's legal team had argued the funding undermined Carroll's credibility at trial.
The next concrete development will come if prosecutors decide to seek an indictment or if Carroll's representatives release further information about her original testimony.
The Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into whether E. Jean Carroll committed perjury during her civil lawsuits against President Trump. The probe centers on Carroll's 2022 deposition statement that she received no outside funding for her legal battles. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois are leading the effort, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Andrew Boutros, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois appointed by Trump, opened the inquiry. CNN first reported the development on Wednesday night. The department has not confirmed the investigation's existence.
Carroll, 82, told investigators in her October 2022 deposition that she accepted no outside financial support. Six months later, her attorneys notified the judge and Trump's lawyers that a nonprofit funded by Reid Hoffman had covered some legal fees and expenses. Carroll never met or spoke with anyone from the nonprofit, her lawyers stated.
Hoffman, the billionaire co-founder of LinkedIn, provided the backing after Carroll had already filed her suits. In a May 2023 interview, Hoffman said his team reviewed the case and decided her voice should be heard because she was challenging someone far more wealthy and powerful. "We didn't encourage the lawsuit to happen, we only got on board after she'd already filed," Hoffman told the Washington Post.
A 2023 jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, awarding Carroll $5 million in damages. The jury determined Trump sexually abused Carroll in a New York department store dressing room in the mid-1990s but did not find him liable for rape. A separate 2024 jury held Trump liable for additional defamation tied to his 2019 comments about Carroll and ordered him to pay $83.3 million.
Both judgments were upheld on appeal. Trump has appealed the damages awards and repeatedly denied the sexual assault allegations. Carroll first detailed her accusation in a 2019 New York Magazine story drawn from her book What Do We Need Men For?
A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled in December 2024 that Carroll had plausibly represented she forgot about the limited outside funding when first asked in 2022. The court noted Carroll had not spoken with her counsel about the funding for over two years by the time of her deposition. "It showed that Ms. Carroll simply was not involved in the matter of who was or was not funding her litigation costs," the panel wrote.
The appeals court also observed that Carroll did not know the funder's political position or why the nonprofit was partially funding her lawsuit. Trump's attorneys had raised the funding issue during the appeal process. The court allowed a second deposition by Trump's attorney Alina Habba after the funding disclosure.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche recused himself from the Carroll investigation because he represented Trump in some of the related litigation. Blanche's prior role created a clear conflict. Sources confirmed the recusal to both CNN and the New York Times.
The probe fits a pattern in which the Justice Department has opened investigations into individuals perceived as Trump's political opponents. Those targeted have included former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Democratic members of Congress Adam Schiff and Ilhan Omar. None of those investigations has produced convictions so far.
Boutros himself faces separate scrutiny after a defense attorney for an anti-ICE protester told a federal judge in Chicago on Tuesday that he has reason to believe Boutros had personal contact with the grand jury in a case that was later dismissed. The attorney raised the allegation in open court. This development adds a layer of complexity to Boutros's oversight of the Carroll matter.
Carroll's attorney Roberta Kaplan, also referred to as Robbie Kaplan, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Justice Department also declined to comment. Excerpts from Carroll's videotaped depositions appeared in the new documentary Ask E Jean, which opened last week in New York.
The investigation raises fresh questions about how plaintiffs in high-profile cases against powerful figures secure legal support. Hoffman emphasized that his involvement came only after Carroll initiated legal action and that the goal was to prevent her case from being squashed by unequal resources. Legal experts watching the probe note that the appeals court had already examined the funding timeline and Carroll's level of knowledge.
The department and Carroll's legal team have not released additional details about the scope of the current criminal inquiry. Sources stressed that the launch of a probe does not guarantee charges will be filed against the 82-year-old writer. Carroll's original 2019 defamation suit had stalled in court before she added the sexual abuse claim under New York's Adult Survivors Act in 2022.
Federal prosecutors continue to examine the exact wording Carroll used in her 2022 deposition and whether it meets the legal standard for perjury. The case rests on the discrepancy between her initial statement and the subsequent revelation about Hoffman's nonprofit. Trump's legal team had argued the funding undermined Carroll's credibility at trial.
The next concrete development will come if prosecutors decide to seek an indictment or if Carroll's representatives release further information about her original testimony.
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The sources also report that the theory of the case is whether Carroll lied in her 2022 deposition about receiving no outside funding. Hoffman's backing was first revealed in legal papers filed by Trump's attorneys in April 2023.