She accused the president of rape Trump apparently has the Department of Justice investigate Jean Carroll

dpa

28.5.2026 - 06:29

Jean Carroll leaves a Manhattan court on September 6, 2024.
Jean Carroll leaves a Manhattan court on September 6, 2024.
Image: Keystone/EPA/Sarah Yenesel

Author Jean Carroll is alleged to have been sexually abused by Donald Trump in the 1990s. According to media reports, Trump's Department of Justice is now taking action against her.

DPA

No time? blue News summarizes for you

  • The author Jean Carroll was allegedly sexually abused by Donald Trump in the 1990s.
  • Trump was convicted.
  • According to media reports, the US Department of Justice is now taking action against her.

She accused Donald Trump of sexual abuse long before his presidency - and is now being targeted by his government: according to media reports, the US Department of Justice is investigating author Jean Carroll for perjury. The authorities are investigating whether Carroll did not tell the truth in the civil proceedings against the current president, reported ABC News and CNN, citing unnamed sources.

According to CNN, this concerns an affidavit by Carroll stating that she had not received any external funding for her lawsuit. However, it was later revealed that billionaire Reid Hoffman had covered part of the costs. According to CNN, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche recused himself from the investigation because he was working as a lawyer for Trump at the time.

In 2023, a New York jury found it proven that Trump had assaulted, sexually abused and later defamed the US author in a high-end New York department store in 1996. He was sentenced to pay compensation of five million dollars. Trump has always denied the allegations. Although the allegations were time-barred under criminal law, the legal process was open under civil law.

Trump convicted

In August 2023, a court found that Carroll's accusation that Trump had raped her was "substantially true". Trump's lawyers had argued in their appeal against the verdict that the author had defamed him when she claimed that he had raped her. The jury had found him guilty of sexual abuse. However, the judge in charge explained that the term rape was "commonly used and understood" in this context. Trump failed with his appeal.

In a second defamation trial, Trump was sentenced to pay Carroll 83.3 million dollars in compensation at the beginning of 2024.