US Justice Investigates Woman Who Accused Trump of Sexual Assault

The Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, a former Elle magazine columnist who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault, U.S. media reported Wednesday night.

Trump has repeatedly urged the Department of Justice to act against his enemies.

This new inquiry focuses on whether Carroll lied under oath in her two civil lawsuits against the president, CNN and The New York Times reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

In one of the lawsuits, Carroll alleged that Trump sexually assaulted her in the dressing room of a New York department store in 1996.

In the other, a jury found Trump liable for defamation for his numerous malicious public comments denying any assault and claiming she had fabricated the incident to boost book sales.

According to CNN, the prosecutors driving the investigation rely on a sworn statement made in 2022 by E. Jean Carroll in which she claimed she had not received any outside funding for her legal proceedings.

Subsequently, it came to light that billionaire Reid Hoffman had covered part of her legal fees and expenses, the television network reported.

The Times, meanwhile, reported that a federal prosecutor appointed by Trump opened the investigation.

The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.