Overview
- The Justice Department launched a criminal inquiry reported late Wednesday that focuses on whether Carroll committed perjury in a 2022 deposition when she said she received no outside funding for her lawsuits.
- Senior DOJ officials referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, which reports indicate is being overseen by Andrew S. Boutros.
- Reporting says the contested funding involved a Chicago-based nonprofit linked to Reid Hoffman that paid some of Carroll’s legal fees and was disclosed to courts on the eve of trial after her deposition.
- Carroll won separate civil judgments against President Donald J. Trump — a $5 million sexual‑abuse verdict and an $83.3 million defamation award — and both remain under appeal with the Supreme Court deferring review.
- Legal observers note perjury cases require proof that a witness knowingly lied about a material fact, so an investigation does not guarantee charges, and coverage highlights partisan concerns about DOJ moves targeting critics of the president.