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Despite the lack of corroborating physical evidence presented at trial, a Manhattan jury ultimately sided with Carroll in 2023. Trump has consistently denied all allegations, dismissing Carroll in strongly worded terms and denying any wrongdoing.
He has repeatedly referred to her as a “whack job” and stated she is “not my type,” maintaining that the accusations are politically motivated and fabricated. His legal team has also argued that the case relied heavily on testimony rather than concrete proof.
The jury’s findings in the civil case were nuanced. While it did not conclude that Trump raped Carroll under the legal definition, it did determine that Carroll had proven Trump sexually abused her in a separate finding. The jury concluded that he had “inserted fingers into her vagina,” a determination that contributed to the final judgment.
In May 2023, the Manhattan jury ordered Trump to pay $5 million in damages in the initial case involving sexual abuse and defamation claims. Months later, in a separate defamation case brought by Carroll, a jury in January 2024 ordered Trump to pay an additional $83.3 million in damages after finding that his public statements about Carroll were defamatory.
Now, attention has shifted back toward Carroll herself as federal prosecutors examine whether she may have committed perjury during sworn deposition testimony. The key issue under review is her claim that she did not receive outside financial assistance for her lawsuits.
During questioning under oath by Trump attorney Alina Habba, Carroll stated that no one was helping fund her legal expenses. However, later revelations indicated that billionaire tech investor Reid Hoffman had provided financial support for legal fees and related costs, raising questions about the accuracy of her sworn testimony.
Investigators are reportedly analyzing whether this discrepancy constitutes intentional false statements under oath, which could carry serious legal consequences if proven.
CNN reported:
The Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the former magazine columnist who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
The investigation is focused on whether Carroll committed perjury in testimony tied to her two civil lawsuits against the president – one alleging he sexually abused Carroll in a New York department store in the mid-1990s, and a second for defaming her when in 2019 he repeatedly denied the assault, said she wasn’t his type and claimed she made it up to boost sales of a book.
Prosecutors’ theory hinges on a 2022 deposition statement by Carroll, 82, that she received no outside funding for her lawsuit, though it was later revealed that billionaire Reid Hoffman had paid some legal fees and expenses.
As the investigation continues, the case adds yet another layer of controversy to a years-long legal and political saga that has already resulted in multimillion-dollar judgments, intense public scrutiny, and sharply divided opinions across the political spectrum.
With federal authorities now scrutinizing sworn testimony that played a central role in the civil proceedings, the situation remains fluid and could develop further as investigators determine whether any laws were violated.
