The Department of Justice has reportedly launched a criminal investigation into writer E. Jean Carroll, the woman who previously won two major civil judgments against President Donald Trump, adding another dramatic turn to one of the country’s most politically charged legal battles.
Carroll secured millions of dollars in damages in separate cases against Trump, including a 2023 ruling in which a jury found the president liable for sexual abuse and a later defamation judgment the following year. Both verdicts were upheld on appeal. Trump, however, has continued fighting the rulings and has once again appealed the sexual abuse case to the Supreme Court.
The nation’s highest court has repeatedly delayed deciding whether it will hear the appeal, postponing a decision twelve separate times, including again on Wednesday.
That same day, CNN reported that Trump’s Justice Department has now opened a criminal investigation into whether Carroll committed perjury during a 2022 deposition connected to her lawsuit against the president.
According to the report, investigators are examining Carroll’s testimony regarding the funding of her legal case. During the deposition, Carroll reportedly claimed that her lawsuit was not backed by outside financial supporters. Later, however, her attorneys informed the court that billionaire Reid Hoffman had helped pay some of her legal fees.
Carroll’s legal team maintained that she had no direct association with the Hoffmans’ nonprofit organization that provided the funding assistance. The judge overseeing the matter allowed Trump’s attorneys to question Carroll during an additional deposition about the issue, although further questioning related to Hoffman was later restricted during the trial itself.
The development marks another escalation in the years-long legal and political conflict between Trump and Carroll, a dispute that has become deeply intertwined with broader national debates over the justice system, political influence, and the increasingly blurred line between civil litigation and criminal investigation.
A spokesperson for the Justice Department declined to discuss specifics of the inquiry but appeared to confirm that the matter remains active.
“We can confirm that no U.S. Attorney’s Office has declined to investigate any case relating to the subject matter of CNN’s inquiry,” the spokesperson told the network. “We will not comment beyond that.”
CNN’s Paula Reid reported Wednesday that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has recused himself from the case due to his prior involvement in one of Trump’s appeals connected to the Carroll litigation.
“Now, over at the Justice Department, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, I am told, has recused from this case because he worked on one of the appeals related to the Carroll case,” Reid explained during an appearance on OutFront. “Now, I’m told he has not attended any meetings or been in any discussions about this investigation. The case is currently being handled out of the U.S. Attorney’s office in Chicago.”
Sources familiar with the matter told CNN that the Chicago connection stems from Hoffman’s nonprofit organization being based there.
Neither Carroll nor her legal team commented publicly on the investigation. CNN also reported that attempts to reach Hoffman on Wednesday were unsuccessful.
The latest chapter in the dispute arrives as Trump continues battling multiple legal and political controversies while campaigning to maintain Republican control in Washington. At the same time, the growing involvement of federal prosecutors in politically explosive cases is likely to intensify concerns from critics across the political spectrum who warn that America’s institutions are becoming increasingly consumed by endless legal warfare — a climate that many voters appear exhausted by after years of partisan conflict.
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