The DOJ opens a perjury investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the writer who successfully sued Donald Trump for sexual abuse and defamation
The inquiry focuses on whether Carroll lied under oath in concealing that billionaire Reid Hoffman funded part of her lawsuits against Trump.
E. Jean Carroll arrives at Manhattan federal court.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has initiated a criminal inquiry against E. Jean Carroll, the 82-year-old columnist who accused the president Trump of sexually assaulting her in the 1990s.
In one of the lawsuits, Carroll accused the president of sexually assaulting her in the fitting room of the Bergdorf Goodman store in Manhattan in late 1995 or early 1996.
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In the civil trials, a federal jury found that Trump was liable for sexual abuse and defamation for his repeated public statements in which he flatly denied the assault and claimed that Carroll had made up the incident to promote her book.
These were civil, not criminal trials. That is, Trump was not sentenced to prison, only to pay damages and compensation.
Investigation into whether Carroll concealed funds from Reid Hoffman
The DOJ's investigation against the writer, first reported by CNN, is focused on determining whether Carroll committed perjury during her statements in civil lawsuits she filed against the president.
Prosecutors are examining a statement Carroll made in a 2022 deposition, where she asserted under oath that no one else was funding her legal claims against Trump. However, shortly before the first trial, it was revealed that tycoon Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, had picked up part of the legal fees and expenses, the TV network reported.
This revelation came weeks before the 2023 trial, prompting Trump's lawyers to accuse Carroll and her team of withholding information. Judge Lewis Kaplan allowed a new deposition, but ultimately found that it did not affect Carroll's credibility for purposes of the civil case.
The probe is being led by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois, under Andrew S. Boutros, a Trump-appointed prosecutor. The acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, who previously represented Trump in appeals related to this case, recused himself to avoid conflicts of interest.
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