The investigation's focus

The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation centered on E. Jean Carroll, the 82-year-old former magazine columnist who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault. However, multiple sources familiar with the matter indicate the probe is more focused on American Future Republic, a Chicago-based nonprofit backed by LinkedIn co-founder and major Democratic donor Reid Hoffman, than on Carroll herself. The investigation is being led by the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Andrew Boutros.

“The investigation is more focused on Reid Hoffman's nonprofit. It's related to E. Jean Carroll and her deposition, but she is not the subject of the investigation.”

The probe is examining potential money-laundering conspiracy, obstruction, and whether the nonprofit could have directed Carroll to lie during a 2022 deposition. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who previously served as Trump's personal attorney in the Carroll case, has recused himself from the investigation.

The deposition at the heart of the case

During an October 2022 videotaped deposition, Carroll was asked whether anyone else was paying her legal fees for her lawsuit against Trump. She responded, "No." It later became public that Hoffman's nonprofit, American Future Republic, had covered some of her legal expenses and fees. Carroll's attorneys subsequently stated that she "now recalls" receiving outside funding, but maintained she had no personal involvement in securing it.

“We had no prior knowledge at the time of the original grant that our funding would go to support her case in particular.”

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals previously rejected Trump's argument that Carroll committed perjury, finding "no evidence to suggest that Ms. Carroll was personally involved in securing the funding, interacted with the funder," or had knowledge of where the money came from prior to her deposition.

The civil judgments against Trump

Carroll won two separate civil judgments against Trump stemming from her accusation that he sexually assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s. A 2023 jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, awarding Carroll $5 million. A second jury in 2024 awarded her $83.3 million in a defamation case related to Trump's social media attacks on her. Trump has denied all allegations and is appealing both verdicts.

“The allegations are a made-up scam.”

Trump's appeals are winding through the legal system, with the Supreme Court likely to have the final word on both cases. One dispute is already before the justices, while the second appears headed there in the coming months. A federal appeals court recently required Trump to post a $7.4 million bond to cover additional interest costs while delaying payment of the award.

Pattern of retribution

The investigation marks the latest in a series of actions by the Trump administration Justice Department against perceived adversaries of the president. Previous targets have included former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and nonprofits backed by George Soros. The Justice Department also filed money-laundering conspiracy charges against the Southern Poverty Law Center in April, which experts have described as flimsy.

“The charges constitute a vindictive prosecution.”

These actions have raised alarm among Democrats and former officials that the Justice Department, an institution meant to make prosecutorial decisions independent of the White House, is being weaponized for political retribution. Some investigations into Trump's adversaries have done little more than generate headlines, gaining minimal legal momentum within the DOJ and FBI.