The Justice Department is reportedly investigating Jean Carroll for possible perjury in a civil lawsuit against Donald Trump.
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into former magazine writer E. Jean Carroll, who has accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault, multiple media outlets reported Wednesday.
Carroll previously filed a civil lawsuit against Trump, accusing him of sexual abuse and defamation. she won Defamation case awarded $83 million The case will be heard in September 2025, with $5 million set to be awarded in May 2023 for sexual abuse lawsuits.
The new investigation reportedly revolves around whether Carroll committed perjury when he claimed he had no outside funding for the lawsuit. CNN first reported the investigation.
It later emerged that billionaire Reid Hoffman had “paid some legal fees and expenses,” CNN reported on Wednesday, citing multiple people familiar with the matter.
abc news and new york times The status of the investigation was also reported.
The investigation is reportedly being led by U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Andrew Boutros after Attorney General Todd Branch recused himself from the case. Branch served as one of Trump’s attorneys in an attempt to appeal the ruling in Carroll’s civil lawsuit.
Carroll’s accusations against the president became public in 2019 when she released her memoir. She accused him of sexually assaulting her in a Manhattan dressing room in 1996. The Court of Appeal recently upheld the decision Trump’s attacks on her character followed years of attacks surrounding the accusations.
Carroll has not responded to requests for comment, and the Justice Department declined to comment when ABC News asked for more information.
