The Trump administration has launched a criminal investigation into E Jean Carroll, the writer who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault, according to reports from the New York Times and CNN.
Prosecutors are examining whether Carroll, 82, committed perjury during a 2022 deposition in her civil lawsuits against Trump. In that deposition, she stated that she did not accept outside financial support for her legal battles. However, nearly six months later, before the trial began, Carroll's attorneys disclosed that a nonprofit funded by Reid Hoffman, the billionaire co-founder of LinkedIn, had paid some legal fees and expenses.
Trump's lawyers argued that Carroll concealed Hoffman's funding, claiming the omission undermined her credibility. Carroll's lawyers countered that she never met or spoke with anyone from the nonprofit. The judge allowed Trump's attorney, Alina Habba, to question Carroll again in a second deposition.
In 2024, a three-judge federal appeals court panel in New York dismissed the claim that Carroll had lied in her deposition.
Carroll, a longtime advice columnist, alleged in her 2019 book What Do We Need Men For? that Trump sexually assaulted her in a New York department store dressing room. Trump denied the allegations, calling them "totally lying" and stating she was "not my type."
Carroll filed a federal civil lawsuit against Trump for sexual abuse and defamation. A jury found Trump liable on both counts and awarded Carroll $5 million in damages. A year later, a separate jury ordered Trump to pay $83 million in another defamation case. Trump has appealed both judgments.
CNN and the New York Times reported that Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, has recused himself from the Justice Department investigation due to his role representing Trump in Carroll's civil case.
The reported federal investigation into Carroll is the latest example of Trump's Justice Department launching criminal investigations into political opponents. Federal prosecutors have investigated former FBI chief James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Democratic members of Congress including Adam Schiff and Ilhan Omar. These investigations have not yet resulted in convictions.
The Justice Department and Carroll's legal representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
