The Justice Department has opened an investigation into E. Jean Carroll’s testimony and a nonprofit organization funded by Democratic donor Reid Hoffman that helped finance her sexual assault lawsuits against President Trump.
Carroll, a former Elle columnist, won two civil cases against Trump in 2023 and 2024, with juries awarding her more than $88 million in damages. The investigation focuses on Carroll’s failure to disclose Hoffman’s financial involvement when questioned under oath during her deposition.
What Triggered the Investigation
Multiple outlets reported this week that Hoffman, LinkedIn’s co-founder and a prominent Democratic donor, provided significant funding for Carroll’s legal cases. Carroll later acknowledged she forgot to mention Hoffman’s involvement during sworn testimony.
Federal prosecutors in the Northern District of Illinois are examining potential perjury related to her deposition statements. The primary focus centers on American Future Republic, Hoffman’s nonprofit organization, which transferred $7 million to Carroll’s law firm in 2020, according to reporting.
“I just completely forgot,” Carroll, now 82, told CNN in May 2023 when asked why she failed to disclose Hoffman’s funding. “I just completely forgot he even existed.”
Hoffman’s Political Involvement
Hoffman has emerged as one of Trump’s most vocal political opponents over recent years, backing efforts to defeat him in 2016, 2020, and 2024. During the 2024 election cycle, he contributed at least $1 million to the Biden Victory Fund and $10 million to Future Forward PAC.
“My primary motivation for participating in politics over the last eight years has been to oppose Donald Trump’s ongoing attempts to break American democracy,” Hoffman said in August 2024.
The Reaction
Democratic critics argue the investigation represents weaponization of federal agencies against a woman whom a Manhattan jury found credible. They point to the jury’s verdict as validation of Carroll’s claims that Trump sexually assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 1990s.
Trump administration allies contend the DOJ inquiry provides necessary scrutiny into the financing structure of the cases. “Companies are making money off ordinary Americans only to turn around and use it to try to thwart the political choices made by ordinary Americans,” said Jeffrey Clark, a former top Trump administration official.
A source familiar with the investigation indicated that Carroll is not currently a subject of the probe, though that status could change.
This story has been updated. CNN’s reporting team contributed to this report.
