DOJ Opens Criminal Inquiry into Trump Accuser Carroll

The Trump Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into E Jean Carroll, examining whether she committed perjury in a 2022 deposition during her civil lawsuits against the president. The move follows Trump's broader pattern of using federal agencies against political adversaries, and comes as California governor Gavin Newsom separately moved to impose a 100% tax on payments from Trump's $1.776bn "anti-weaponization fund" to state residents. Carroll, 82, previously won civil jury verdicts finding Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation.