The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, examining whether the 82-year-old former magazine columnist committed perjury during testimony in her civil lawsuits against President Donald Trump over sexual assault and defamation allegations.

Perjury Investigation Centers on Funding Disclosure

Federal prosecutors are scrutinizing a 2022 videotaped deposition where Carroll told Trump attorney Alina Habba that no one else was paying her legal fees. Two weeks before trial, Carroll’s lawyers revealed that billionaire Reid Hoffman had funded some legal fees and expenses through his Chicago-based nonprofit. Trump’s legal team was caught off guard by the disclosure, with Habba stating in court that Carroll’s team “conspired to conceal the truth for nearly six months.”

The investigation has been referred to federal prosecutors in Chicago, where Hoffman’s nonprofit operates. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has recused himself from the matter due to his previous work as one of Trump’s personal attorneys on Carroll’s appeals. Deputy attorney general officials are now overseeing the probe.

Trial Judge Saw No Credibility Issues

When the funding disclosure emerged, Judge Lewis Kaplan permitted Trump’s attorneys to depose Carroll again. However, when the trial began, Kaplan said he saw no issue with Carroll’s credibility and blocked lawyers from questioning her about Hoffman’s financial support. Carroll’s legal team maintained she never met nor had conversations with anyone associated with the nonprofit that funded her case.

Carroll initially sued Trump for sexual abuse allegedly occurring in a New York department store in the mid-1990s. A second lawsuit targeted his 2019 statements denying the assault, claiming she wasn’t his type, and alleging she fabricated the story to boost book sales. Juries awarded Carroll millions in damages across both cases.

Ongoing Legal Battles Continue

Trump is actively appealing both judgments. He has taken the five million dollar sexual abuse case to the Supreme Court and pledged to appeal the 83 million dollar defamation verdict. The Supreme Court has deferred deciding whether to hear Trump’s appeal twelve times, with the most recent deferral occurring Wednesday morning. The president previously attempted to have the Justice Department join as a defendant to claim immunity from liability, but an appeals court panel rejected the argument as raised too late in the legal process.

The investigation represents another move in the department’s efforts to pursue Trump’s political adversaries. Critics have heavily criticized the cases brought since Blanche took control of the department in April, alleging politicization. Carroll’s team declined to comment on the investigation, and attempts to reach Hoffman were unsuccessful.