DOJ launches criminal investigation into Trump accuser E Jean Carroll

The US Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into US President Donald Trump’s accuser E Jean Carroll.

The probe is examining whether Ms Carroll committed perjury in testimony linked to her civil lawsuits against the US President.

It centres on a 2022 deposition where she said no one else was paying her legal fees.

It was later revealed billionaire Reid Hoffman helped cover some legal costs through a nonprofit.

Ms Carroll’s lawyers said she had never met or spoken with anyone from the group.

Donald Trump is appealing multimillion-dollar judgments awarded to Ms Carroll in her sexual abuse and defamation cases.