The legal battle between Donald Trump and writer E. Jean Carroll has taken another dramatic turn after the U.S. Justice Department reportedly opened a criminal investigation into the former magazine columnist.
According to multiple reports, federal investigators are now examining whether Carroll may have committed perjury during testimony connected to the civil lawsuits she filed against Trump.
The development adds a fresh layer of controversy to one of America’s most politically explosive legal disputes — a case that has already resulted in massive financial judgments, appeals and years of public confrontation.
At the center of the new investigation is testimony Carroll gave during a 2022 deposition.
During questioning, Carroll reportedly stated that no outside individuals or organisations were funding her lawsuits against Trump.
But investigators later discovered that legal expenses tied to the case had allegedly received financial support connected to Reid Hoffman through a nonprofit organisation.
That revelation reportedly triggered concerns among prosecutors about whether Carroll’s earlier testimony was fully accurate.
Her legal team has not publicly commented on the investigation.
The Justice Department probe is already drawing major political attention partly because of the intense history between Trump and Carroll.
Carroll previously accused Trump of sexually assaulting her inside a New York department store during the 1990s — allegations Trump repeatedly denied.
Separate juries later awarded Carroll a combined $88.3 million in damages tied to sexual abuse findings and defamation claims after Trump publicly attacked her credibility.
Trump, however, has continued appealing those judgments and has repeatedly insisted the allegations against him are false.
The latest investigation also arrives during a period of growing scrutiny surrounding the Justice Department itself.
Critics of the Trump administration have accused the department of increasingly targeting political opponents and individuals viewed as hostile to the president.
That conversation intensified further because acting Attorney General Todd Blanche previously served as one of Trump’s personal attorneys before taking over leadership inside the department.
Although officials say Blanche has formally recused himself from the matter, critics continue questioning whether politics could influence the direction of the investigation.
The case has now reportedly been referred to federal prosecutors in Chicago because the nonprofit organisation connected to the lawsuit funding is based in Illinois.
Meanwhile, Trump’s legal team continues fighting both major civil judgments tied to Carroll’s lawsuits, including appeals currently sitting before the U.S. Supreme Court.
As reactions continue across political and legal circles, the latest development is once again placing one of America’s most controversial courtroom battles back into the national spotlight.
