Justice Department opens perjury probe into E. Jean Carroll funding statement

The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into whether E. Jean Carroll committed perjury when she stated in a 2022 deposition that she received no outside funding for her civil lawsuits against President Trump. The inquiry is being led by federal prosecutors in Chicago. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has taken no part because of his prior representation of President Trump.

Background on the civil cases Carroll accused President Trump of sexually assaulting her in a New York department store dressing room in 1996. A 2023 jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation and awarded her $5 million. A second jury in 2024 awarded her an additional $83.3 million in a separate defamation case.

Trump has repeatedly denied the allegations and described them as politically motivated.

Focus of the perjury investigation Investigators are examining Carroll’s statement that no one else was paying her legal fees. It later emerged that a Chicago-based nonprofit backed by Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, had contributed to the costs. Trump’s lawyers in the civil litigation argued that the undisclosed funding raised questions about whether the case was politically driven.

“In light of widespread reporting and intense media and public interest in the E. Jean Carroll matter in New York, the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office can confirm that it has not opened—and has never opened—a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll. Any claim to the contrary is categorically false." One report indicated the inquiry may now target the nonprofit rather than Carroll herself.”

Prior court rulings on funding disclosure An appeals court previously found that Carroll had “plausibly represented” she had forgotten about the limited outside funding. The court concluded she was not directly involved in decisions about who paid the litigation costs.

Hoffman has said his organization decided to support the case after Carroll had already filed suit, stating the goal was to ensure her voice could be heard. The Justice Department actions come after it secured an indictment last month against former FBI Director James Comey in a separate matter.