DOJ launches criminal probe into E. Jean Carroll — reports

The US Justice Department has opened an investigation into former magazine writer E. Jean Carroll, multiple news media outlets reported on Wednesday.

The probe is believed to focus on whether Caroll committed perjury in testimony tied to two civil lawsuits against Trump.

One is connected to her allegations that Trump sexually assaulted her in a New York City department store in the 1990s. The other is when she sued him for defamation in 2019.

In 2023, a jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse but not liable for rape. Another jury in 2024 found Trump defamed Carroll during his first term by denying her claims and ordered him to pay $83 million ⁠in damages.

CNN first reported the DOJ investigation.

Justice Department launches criminal probe into E. Jean Carroll 

The launch of a probe, reportedly led by the ‌US Attorney's Office in Chicago, may not necessarily result in charges against ​Carroll.

Since last year, the Trump administration has used an array of government powers to launch criminal investigations into the president's percieved enemies.

Reuters reported that the prosecutors' move is based on a 2022 deposition statement by the former Elle magazine columnist that she received no outside funding ⁠for ​her lawsuit.

Her lawyers later revealed that Reid Hoffman, the ​billionaire co-founder of LinkedIn, had paid some of her legal bills.

Media outlets reported that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche recused himself from the Justice Department investigation because he worked as one of Trump's personal attorneys in Carroll's civil case.

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Edited by: Sean Sinico