The US Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into columnist Elizabeth Jean Carroll, who accused President Donald Trump of harassment.
CBS News reports this, citing sources.
At issue is whether Carroll lied during her 2022 testimony when she said she received no outside funding for the lawsuit.
In April 2023, court documents filed by Trumpʼs defense attorneys revealed that billionaire Reed Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, helped pay some of her legal costs. When Trumpʼs lawyers raised the issue on appeal, the court concluded that Carroll "probably correctly stated" in her testimony that she "did not recall limited outside funding". The appeals court also said that Carroll "simply was not involved in the question of who exactly funded her legal costs".
In a May 2023 interview with the Washington Post, Reed Hoffman explained why he decided to help fund the lawsuit, noting that they did not initiate the case, but became involved after it was filed.
“My team looked at it and decided that her voice should be heard because she was speaking out against someone with much more money and influence — and that shouldn’t be suppressed,” Hoffman said.
What Carroll accuses Trump of
Columnist Elizabeth Jean Carroll has accused Trump of an assault that took place more than 30 years ago. She says the incident took place at a Bergdorf Goodman store in Manhattan in late 1995 or early 1996. Trump was in the store picking out lingerie for another woman and asked Carroll for help. He then jokingly asked the woman to try on the lingerie, after which he allegedly attacked her in the changing room.
The woman claims she managed to fight back and escape. She did not want to go to the police at the time because she was “shocked and did not want to think of herself as a rape victim.” Two of Carroll’s friends confirmed that the woman told them about the incident within days of it happening.
After Carroll spoke about the assault, Trump repeatedly denied her claims, calling the woman a liar. Carroll filed two lawsuits against Trump (in 2023 and 2024) alleging sexual assault and defamation.
The woman won both cases: in the 2023 case (sexual assault and defamation), the court awarded her $5 million in compensation, and in the 2024 case (defamation) another $83.3 million. Both verdicts were later upheld on appeal. It is important to note that since the cases were civil, Trump was not actually found guilty of a crime, but was only held legally liable and ordered to pay compensation.
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