The Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the former Elle magazine columnist who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
The investigation is allegedly centered around whether Carroll committed perjury during her civil lawsuits against President Trump, after which she was awarded a $5 million judgment, the sources said.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche recused himself from the investigation, given his past representation of Trump in the matter, the sources said.
E. Jean Carroll attends the Time100 Gala, April 25, 2024, in New York City.
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
CNN first reported news of the investigation, which sources said is being led by the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Andrew Boutros.
The probe is the latest among a series of investigations launched by the DOJ into perceived foes of Trump, a number of which have faced significant obstacles in the courts and before grand juries.
A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment on the investigation to ABC News. Attorneys for Carroll also declined to comment.
Trump was found liable in two civil lawsuits that resulted in judgments totaling nearly $90 million for sexually abusing Carroll in a department store dressing room in the 1990s and defaming her when he denied her claims.
He was found liable in 2023 of sexually abusing Carroll and was also found liable in 2024 in a separate but related defamation case involving Carroll.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2024 decision, rejected Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2023 judgment, saying that he had «not demonstrated that the district court erred in any of the challenged rulings,» including its rejection of evidence that Trump said was «proof that a billionaire critic of President Trump had paid [Ms. Carroll’s] legal fees, and that [Ms. Carroll] lied about the funding during her deposition.»
Trump earlier this month asked a federal appeals court in New York to pause its ruling rejecting his challenge to her defamation lawsuit so he could pursue an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The request came after the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to rehear Trump’s claim of immunity and his attempt to substitute the United States as a defendant in the case.
