The U.S. Department of Justice has reportedly launched a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll regarding possible perjury [1].
This probe marks a significant escalation in the legal conflict between Carroll and former President Donald Trump. It shifts the focus from civil liability and defamation to potential federal criminal charges against the accuser.
Federal investigators are examining whether Carroll committed perjury during a deposition in 2022 [2]. That deposition was tied to civil lawsuits she filed against the former president [1]. The DOJ is looking into whether she lied under oath during those proceedings [3].
A DOJ spokesperson provided a response to inquiries regarding the matter. "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 said [4].
This investigation follows years of high-profile litigation. Carroll previously won a defamation suit against Trump, resulting in a judgment awarded to her of $83.3 million [5]. That civil victory established a legal record of liability, but the current criminal probe focuses on the veracity of her testimony rather than the civil findings.
The DOJ has not specified which U.S. Attorney's Office is leading the inquiry or if formal charges are imminent. The investigation remains in the evidentiary stage as prosecutors review the 2022 transcripts [2].
“The DOJ is specifically looking into whether she lied under oath during those proceedings.”
The transition from civil litigation to a federal criminal perjury probe suggests that the Department of Justice has found specific contradictions in Carroll's sworn testimony. While the $83.3 million civil judgment was based on a lower burden of proof, a criminal perjury charge requires evidence that a witness knowingly made a false statement under oath. If the DOJ pursues an indictment, it could potentially be used to challenge the legitimacy of the prior civil awards.
