The U.S. Justice Department is conducting a criminal investigation into whether author E. Jean Carroll committed perjury regarding her civil lawsuits against former President Donald Trump, sources familiar with the matter said.
What happened
The investigation is being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois. Carroll filed two civil lawsuits accusing Trump of sexual assault and defamation. In 2023, a jury found Trump liable for sexual assault and defamation related to comments made in 2022, awarding Carroll $5 million in damages. A second jury in 2024 held Trump liable for defamation over comments from 2019, awarding Carroll $83.3 million. Both judgments were upheld on appeal.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who previously represented Trump in some related litigation, has recused himself from the investigation.
The inquiry centers on whether Carroll lied in a 2022 deposition when she denied receiving any outside funding for her lawsuits. It subsequently emerged that billionaire Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn’s co-founder, helped cover some of her legal expenses. Carroll was not directly involved in the funding arrangements, according to a 2024 U.S. Court of Appeals ruling that described her deposition statements as “plausibly” forgotten details rather than deliberate falsehoods.
Why it matters
This investigation raises questions about judicial honesty and the transparency of legal proceedings in high-profile political cases. If Carroll knowingly made false statements under oath, it could undermine her lawsuits’ credibility and affect ongoing perceptions of litigation involving political figures. The probe also highlights the role of third-party funding in legal actions against powerful individuals.
Background
E. Jean Carroll accused Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her in a mid-1990s encounter in a New York City department store dressing room, a claim she detailed in a 2019 New York Magazine essay. Carroll initially sued Trump for defamation in 2019 after he denied the allegations but later added a sexual assault claim under New York’s Adult Survivors Act in a 2022 lawsuit.
Reid Hoffman’s financial backing for Carroll’s lawsuits was first revealed in legal documents filed by Trump’s attorneys shortly before the 2023 defamation trial. Hoffman stated in a 2023 interview that he supported Carroll’s case to ensure her voice was heard against a more powerful adversary but did not influence the decision to file the lawsuits.
The Justice Department and Carroll’s legal representatives have not provided official comments regarding the investigation.
Sources
This article is based on reporting and publicly available information from the following source:
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