DOJ Opens Perjury Investigation Into Trump Accuser E. Jean Carroll

The legal saga between Donald Trump and E. Jean Carroll just took another unexpected turn—this time, the Department of Justice is investigating Carroll herself.

The focus? Whether Carroll, 82, committed perjury during her 2022 deposition when she testified that she received no outside funding for her lawsuits against Trump. That statement became problematic when it later surfaced that billionaire Reid Hoffman had bankrolled some of her legal fees and expenses through his nonprofit organization.

Here’s where it gets interesting: sources close to the case told Us Weekly that Carroll isn’t actually the subject of the investigation. Instead, the DOJ’s attention is trained on Reid Hoffman’s nonprofit and how it operated. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago is heading the probe, while Attorney General Todd Blanche recused himself—a move that makes sense considering he previously worked as one of Trump’s personal attorneys on the Carroll case before stepping into his current role.

The Carroll-Trump legal battle has been a long one. It began in 2019 when the journalist accused Trump of rape, a claim he vehemently denied. A 2023 jury found that while Trump didn’t commit rape, he was responsible for sexual abuse and had defamed Carroll with false statements made with actual malice. That verdict netted Carroll $5 million in damages. Then came round two: a January 2024 defamation trial where a jury awarded her $11 million for damage to her reputation, $7.3 million for emotional harm, and $65 million in punitive damages—a combined $83 million that Trump has stated he’ll appeal.

The revelation that Carroll received undisclosed funding raises legitimate questions about transparency in high-profile litigation. When someone testifies under oath about the sources of their legal support, accuracy matters. Whether this investigation leads anywhere remains to be seen, but it adds yet another layer to one of the most contentious legal disputes in recent memory.