DOJ Opens Criminal Probe into E Jean Carroll After Trump Assault Allegations

The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into writer E Jean Carroll, who accused former President Donald Trump of sexual assault in 2013, sources confirmed today. Federal prosecutors in New York are scrutinizing whether Carroll’s public statements and legal filings related to the case may have violated federal statutes, including potential obstruction or fraud charges.

Prosecutors are reportedly examining a narrow legal question: whether Carroll’s repeated public claims about Trump’s alleged assault—including testimony in last year’s civil trial—crossed into criminal territory by misrepresenting evidence or obstructing justice. The inquiry, launched quietly in recent weeks, signals an aggressive expansion of the Justice Department’s scrutiny beyond Trump himself to those who have publicly challenged him.

Legal experts caution that federal prosecutions of accusers in high-profile cases are exceedingly rare, raising questions about the department’s motives. The move follows Trump’s $83.3 million defamation judgment in Carroll’s favor last year, where a jury found he had repeatedly lied about their encounter and smeared her reputation.

Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, dismissed the probe as a politically motivated gambit. “This is nothing more than an attempt to silence a woman who spoke truth to power,” Kaplan told reporters. Meanwhile, a DOJ spokesperson declined to comment on the ongoing investigation, citing policy.

The investigation takes place against a backdrop of escalating legal pressure on Trump, who now faces 91 felony charges across four separate indictments, including alleged mishandling of classified documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Carroll’s case, however, stands apart for targeting the accuser rather than the accused—a legal rarity that legal scholars say could set a troubling precedent.

Federal prosecutors have not indicated whether Carroll herself faces imminent charges, but the scope of the probe suggests they are exploring all avenues, including potential witness tampering or false statements. The investigation is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, which has taken a leading role in Trump-related prosecutions. Carroll, 79, has vowed to fight any criminal charges, calling the probe an “abuse of power.”