Truthout is a vital news source and a living history of political struggle. If you think our work is valuable, support us with a donation of any size.

President Donald Trump appeared to be out for what one human rights advocate called “outrageous revenge” late Wednesday as it was reported that the Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll, who won two civil judgments against the president after accusing him of sexual abuse and defamation.

CNN first reported that, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation, the DOJ is investigating whether Carroll committed perjury in her civil lawsuits against Trump.

The probe reportedly centers on a 2022 deposition Carroll gave in which she said she received no outside funding for her lawsuit. It was later revealed that Reid Hoffman, a co-founder of LinkedIn who has been critical of the president, paid some legal fees and expenses.

Before Carroll’s sexual abuse case went to trial in 2022, Trump’s lawyers told the court that the disclosure of Hoffman’s funding raised “significant questions” about Carroll’s credibility and accused her of trying to “conceal the truth.”

Carroll’s lawyers countered that the plaintiff had nothing to do with obtaining the outside funding and that Hoffman’s decision to provide financial support was irrelevant to Carroll’s accusation that Trump had sexually abused her in a New York City department store dressing room in the 1990s.

The FBI Has Established a “Payback Squad” to Target Trump Foes — Report

A jury awarded her a $5 million judgment in the case,........

© Truthout