Federal prosecutors are investigating whether E Jean Carroll committed perjury during a 2022 deposition in her civil lawsuits against Trump, according to reporting by the New York Times and CNN.
Carroll, 82, a longtime advice columnist, testified under oath that she had not accepted outside financial support for her legal battles. Months later, before trial began, her attorneys disclosed that a nonprofit funded by billionaire Reid Hoffman had covered some legal fees and expenses.
Carroll's legal team said she never met or spoke with anyone from the nonprofit and did not knowingly accept the funding. Trump's lawyers argued the concealment damaged her credibility. A federal appeals court panel in New York dismissed claims that Carroll had lied in the deposition in 2024.
The criminal inquiry focuses on whether Carroll's initial sworn statements constituted perjury. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has recused himself from the investigation due to his representation of Trump in Carroll's civil litigation.
Carroll accused Trump in her 2019 book of sexual assault in a department store dressing room. Trump denied the allegations and said she was not his type. She sued him for sexual abuse and defamation. A jury found Trump liable on both counts and awarded Carroll 5 million dollars. A second jury later ordered Trump to pay 83 million dollars in a separate defamation case. Trump has appealed both verdicts.
The federal investigation into Carroll represents part of a broader pattern in which Trump's justice department has launched criminal inquiries targeting political opponents, including former FBI director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Democratic members of Congress including Adam Schiff and Ilhan Omar. None of those investigations have resulted in criminal convictions.
Author James Rodriguez: "The timing and scope of these investigations raise uncomfortable questions about whether the justice department is functioning as an independent law enforcement agency or as a political instrument."
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