Trump's DOJ Opens a Criminal Probe Against His Sexual Abuse Accuser

May 29, 2026

The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation targeting E. Jean Carroll, the writer who won a $5 million civil judgment against Donald Trump for sexual abuse. The probe focuses on whether Carroll lied in a 2022 deposition about how her lawsuit was funded. The department running this investigation is headed by Todd Blanche, who spent years as Trump's personal defense attorney in the Carroll cases and has now recused himself from the probe.

What the Investigation Is Actually About

In October 2022, Carroll gave a deposition in her civil case against Trump. Asked whether anyone other than her attorneys was helping pay for the lawsuit, she said no, describing the arrangement as a contingency case. But in April 2023, Carroll's attorneys notified Trump's legal team that her memory had beenTrump's DOJ has opened a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll and the nonprofit that funded her sexual abuse lawsuit against the president. Acting AG Todd Blanche, Trump's former personal attorney in the Carroll cases, has recused himself. "refreshed": she had been told at some point in 2020 that her lawyer had "secured additional funding from a nonprofit organization to offset certain expenses and legal fees."

That nonprofit is American Future Republic, founded in 2019 and headquartered in Chicago by billionaire LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman. The DOJ probe is being run out of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois, led by U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros. Investigators are examining whether Carroll's deposition statement constitutes possible money laundering, obstruction, and conspiracy.

The Blanche Factor

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has recused himself from the Carroll investigation. That recusal is itself a damning data point: Blanche spent years as Trump's personal attorney in the very Carroll litigation that is now at the center of a DOJ criminal probe. He cannot oversee the investigation because he was on the other side of the case he is now nominally responsible for prosecuting.

That leaves the investigation in the hands of the Chicago office. The U.S. Attorney there, Andrew Boutros, is a Trump appointee.

"The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation involving E. Jean Carroll's lawsuits," CNN reported on May 27, citing sources with knowledge of the matter.

What Carroll Actually Won

Carroll filed two civil lawsuits against Trump: one for defamation after Trump denied her assault allegations in 2019, and one for the underlying sexual abuse under New York's Adult Survivors Act. In May 2023, a federal jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and awarded Carroll $5 million. A second jury later added $83.3 million in damages for Trump's continued public attacks on her after the verdict.

Carroll has said publicly she never received the money. Trump has appealed both judgments.

The Pattern

This is the latest in a series of DOJ actions targeting people who brought, funded, or publicized legal challenges against Trump personally. Trump has called Carroll's lawsuits "fake" and a "witch hunt." His Justice Department is now using the power of a federal criminal investigation to probe the nonprofit that helped fund the legal fight producing a $5 million judgment against him personally, and an $83.3 million judgment against his ongoing public attacks.

Sources

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