Justice Department Opens Criminal Perjury Probe Into E. Jean Carroll’s Trump Lawsuits

The Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault, focusing on whether Carroll committed perjury in testimony tied to her two civil lawsuits against him.

“DOJ launches criminal probe into E”

ABC News

NBC News reported that the probe is focused on a trust founded by billionaire Democratic donor Reid Hoffman, whose nonprofit organization helped pay some of Carroll’s legal costs, and two sources familiar with the matter said the investigation is being led by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Chicago.

ABC News

The New York Times said the investigation centers on whether Ms. Carroll committed perjury in civil lawsuits against Mr. Trump, and it identified Andrew S. Boutros as the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois who opened the inquiry.

AP said the perjury investigation is being led by the federal prosecutors’ office in Chicago, and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche had no involvement because of his prior work as Trump’s personal attorney.

The Hill framed the dispute on “The View,” where Whoopi Goldberg asked, “Why is the administration spending time trying to relitigate this case that was already decided by two juries?”

On ABC News, a Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment on the investigation, while attorneys for Carroll also declined to comment, as multiple sources said the probe is allegedly centered on whether Carroll committed perjury during her civil lawsuits against Trump.

The New York Times reported that Todd Blanche is said to have recused himself from the probe because of his prior representation of Mr. Trump, while officials from department headquarters were involved in the inquiry.

AP News

The Hill said Alyssa Farah Griffin questioned the timing and priorities, asking, “Find me the sole voter who went out and voted in November because they wanted to see the Department of Justice at taxpayer expense investigate an 82-year-old woman,” as she criticized the administration for focusing on Carroll.

NBC News said Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer does not plan to run for president in 2028, while the same live updates package described the DOJ probe as tied to Carroll’s lawsuits against President Donald Trump.

In a separate development, CBS News reported that U.S. attorney Andrew Boutros said the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office “can confirm that it has not opened—and has never opened—a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll.”

The investigation’s theory, as described by CNN, hinges on a 2022 deposition statement by Carroll, 82, that she received no outside funding for her lawsuit, though it was later revealed that billionaire Reid Hoffman had paid some legal fees and expenses.

“- Published The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has opened a criminal investigation into writer E Jean Carroll, who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault, CBS News, the BBC's US partner, has reported”

BBC

Forbes said the probe focuses on Carroll’s 2022 deposition and that court filings later showed a Chicago non-profit linked to Hoffman helped pay for some of her expenses, while it noted that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche reportedly recused himself due to his previous work as the president’s personal attorney.

AP reported that a court entry earlier this month said Trump will not have to pay the award until the U.S. Supreme Court gets a chance to review the case or reject an appeal, and it said the appeals court agreed to a request by one of Trump’s lawyers that it let him delay payment while requiring a $7.4 million bond.

The New York Times said Carroll won a $5 million civil judgment and a $83.3 million civil judgment, and it described the criminal inquiry as the latest chapter in a Justice Department campaign going after perceived enemies.

In the Guardian’s account, the reported federal investigation into Carroll is described as the latest example of Trump’s justice department launching criminal investigations into political opponents, and it said the justice department and Carroll’s legal representatives did not immediately return requests for comment.