The inquiry centers on testimony Carroll gave during a 2022 deposition linked to the civil lawsuits she filed against Trump. Carroll accused the president of sexually assaulting her in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s and later defaming her after he publicly denied the allegation and questioned her credibility.
Investigators are examining whether Carroll misrepresented the source of funding for her legal cases. During sworn testimony, Carroll stated that no outside individuals or groups were helping finance her lawsuits. However, court filings later revealed that some legal costs had been supported by a nonprofit organization connected to billionaire businessman Reid Hoffman.
Prosecutors are now reviewing whether those statements could qualify as perjury under federal law.
According to CNN, neither Carroll nor her legal representatives have publicly commented on the investigation. Hoffman also did not respond to requests for comment.
The case adds another layer to the years-long legal conflict between Trump and Carroll, whose courtroom battles have drawn national attention and deep political divisions. Critics of the Justice Department have increasingly questioned whether recent investigations connected to Trump’s political rivals and critics risk appearing politically influenced.
Although acting Attorney General Todd Blanche currently leads the department, he is not involved in this investigation because of his previous work as one of Trump’s private attorneys during Carroll-related appeals. Sources say other senior officials within the deputy attorney general’s office are overseeing the matter.
According to people familiar with the investigation, the case was referred to federal prosecutors in Chicago. While Carroll’s deposition occurred in New York, investigators are reportedly looking into the involvement of Hoffman’s nonprofit organization, which operates out of Chicago.
The issue surrounding financial support for Carroll’s lawsuits first became public shortly before trial proceedings began. In her earlier deposition, Carroll told Trump attorney Alina Habba that she was not receiving outside assistance for legal expenses. Later, her attorneys disclosed that funding had, in fact, come from a nonprofit backed by Hoffman.
Carroll’s legal team argued at the time that she had no direct relationship with the organization or its representatives. Trump’s attorneys accused her lawyers of failing to disclose the arrangement sooner.
Judge Lewis Kaplan later allowed Trump’s legal team to question Carroll again under oath, though the contents of that deposition have not been released publicly. Kaplan ultimately ruled that the funding issue did not affect Carroll’s credibility and barred the subject from being raised during the trial.
Carroll previously won two major civil judgments against Trump. Separate juries awarded her millions of dollars in damages related to sexual abuse and defamation claims. Trump continues to challenge both rulings in court, including the $5 million judgment tied to the sexual abuse finding and the $83 million defamation award.
The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly postponed a decision on whether it will hear Trump’s appeal in the sexual abuse case, including another delay issued Wednesday.
In a separate legal effort, Trump attempted to have the Justice Department substituted as a defendant in one of the lawsuits, arguing that presidential immunity should protect him from liability. A federal appeals court rejected the request, ruling that it had been filed too late.
The latest investigation is expected to fuel further debate over the Justice Department’s independence and the increasingly political nature of high-profile legal battles in the United States.
