The Justice Department has initiated a criminal investigation into E Jean Carroll, the former magazine columnist who accused Donald Trump of sexual assault, according to reports.
The investigation will reportedly center on whether Carroll committed perjury during her civil lawsuits against the president. Carroll, a former Elle magazine writer, was awarded $5 million in 2022 after a jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse. A separate grand jury later awarded her $83.3 million for defamatory statements made by Trump regarding her and the case.
Earlier this month, a federal appeals court rejected Trump's attempts to rehear his arguments against Carroll, who has accused the president of repeatedly defaming her. Subsequently, the Department of Justice announced plans to intervene and stepped in on the president's behalf in his appeal to the Supreme Court.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has recused himself from the current investigation, as he previously represented Trump as his personal lawyer in the case, sources told ABC News. The investigation, first reported by CNN, is being led by US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Andrew Boutros.
Carroll's team declined to comment to CNN, and a Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment on the investigation to ABC News. Carroll brought two lawsuits against Trump: one alleging he sexually abused her in a New York department store in the 1990s, and a second defamation lawsuit regarding Trump's 2019 denials of the alleged assault, in which he claimed she was not his type and that she had fabricated the story to boost book sales.
Federal prosecutors are examining a 2022 videotaped deposition statement in which Carroll said she did not receive any outside funding for her lawsuit against Trump. It was later revealed that billionaire Reid Hoffman had covered some of Carroll's expenses and legal fees.
