Trump Administration Opens Criminal Investigation Into E. Jean Carroll

The Trump Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, according to CNN reporting. Carroll, 82, is the high-profile victim of Trump's sexual abuse who has been awarded nearly $90 million by juries in two cases against Trump, whose verdicts he is still appealing. The investigation centers on conduct related to a perjury allegation in a civil deposition—a charge Trump attempted unsuccessfully to raise at trial, which a judge dismissed and a unanimous appeals court agreed was a nonstarter.

The investigation has been referred to federal prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago, despite acting Attorney General Todd Blanche recusing himself due to his prior representation of Trump. Legal analysts note that no other Justice Department would typically pursue a criminal investigation under these circumstances, particularly for civil deposition perjury. The Trump DOJ's unusual confirmation of the investigation to CNN—stating that no U.S. Attorney's Office had declined to investigate the matter—reinforces what critics characterize as an abuse of presidential power to settle private scores.