The US Justice Department has begun a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, a former columnist who accused former President Donald Trump of sexual assault. This inquiry, reported by CNN and The New York Times, is focused on the possibility that Carroll committed perjury in her civil lawsuits against Trump. In one of these lawsuits, Carroll claimed Trump assaulted her in a New York department store in 1996. In a separate case, a jury found Trump liable for defamation due to his derogatory public comments about Carroll, including claims that she fabricated the assault to promote her book. The investigation is reportedly based on a deposition where Carroll stated she had not received outside financial assistance for her lawsuits. However, it later surfaced that billionaire Reid Hoffman had covered some of her legal expenses. The inquiry is being led by federal prosecutor Andrew S. Boutros, who was appointed during Trump's presidency. The Justice Department has not yet commented on the matter.