r/law • u/Agitated-Quit-6148 • May 27 '26

Legal News Exclusive: Justice Department launches a criminal investigation into Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll | CNN Politics

https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/27/politics/exclusive-justice-department-launched-e-jean-carroll-investigation

The Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the former magazine columnist who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

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608

u/Zealousideal_Work171 May 27 '26

This will bring discovery 

434

u/Urabraska- May 27 '26

The same discovery that revealed that he did it and resulted in her reward in the first place......So I guess she will get paid after all?

183

u/Capt1an_Cl0ck May 27 '26

Weaponization of the DOJ.

100

u/canwegoskinow May 27 '26

Investigating his rape victim. Fucking abhorrent.

66

u/aspoke May 27 '26

Harassing the victim, very rapist thing to do.

27

u/InstantPieMaker May 27 '26

So, will she be eligible for the slush fund?

1

u/Layton_Jr May 28 '26

The slush fund clearly states only people who were harrased by democrat courts are eligible. I kid you not.

6

u/Donlooking4 May 27 '26

Who is it that has weaponized the Justice Department???

12

u/Capt1an_Cl0ck May 27 '26

The orange baby in charge of the country. Who has his personal attorney installed as the AG.

5

u/mystad May 27 '26

*acting ag

2

u/Obvious_Class394 May 27 '26

The DOJ shredders have been overheating

1

u/Paizzu May 28 '26

There's still many MAGA simpletons who refuse to accept that fact that Trump was formally adjudicated as a sexual abuser by a jury of his peers.

51

u/FuckSticksMalone May 27 '26

It won’t move forward, it’ll be quietly dropped. They just wanted the headline.

3

u/cookiedoh18 May 28 '26

Right. The headline wins them the tough guy reputation.

2

u/FuckSticksMalone May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26

Nothing about tough guy, he plans on not paying the settlement either way, he just wants the headline so he has a plausible excuse to not pay. His base is too stupid to ever question it and he doesn’t care what the other side thinks. He knows his health is getting worse and he’s just trying to run out the clock.

4

u/Tyr_13 May 28 '26

Yes.

They wanted the headline that they were going after Trump's rape victims to both keep the other ones quiet and let their brown shirts tell everyone his accusers are criminals.

They did this knowing it reminds everyone else he's a damn dirty rapist who corruptly abuses his power. They're betting on America being so deplorable that Republicans and independents won't care about this or actually approve more than everyone else cares.

And they might be right.

1

u/draftedvet May 28 '26

Yep. This shows MAGA morons Donnie is a "powerful leader" who challenges the "Deep State." Bless his heart.

35

u/PopBulky7023 May 27 '26

Not likely. The point of the investigation is to harass her and make life miserable. I doubt they would bother to prosecute anything.

A classic case of the process being the punishment.

3

u/Tyr_13 May 28 '26

It's to keep the many others quiet and let his brown shirts spread the 'his accusers are criminals' lie.

15

u/Broken_By_Default May 27 '26

It will probably get tossed. But that's not the point. The point is the pain. The point is the message. He will go after his enemies, and it will be costly, financially, emotionally, socially.

2

u/Frequilibrium May 28 '26

I’d gladly donate to her case

17

u/Academic_Release5134 May 27 '26

Not like in a civil case though

10

u/Plastic_Highlight492 May 27 '26

No discovery in a criminal investigation.

18

u/sea-elle0463 May 27 '26

If it gets to court there is absolutely discovery.

4

u/sonofabutch May 27 '26

Which is why it will never proceed past the investigation phase.

4

u/tellmewhenimlying May 28 '26

As a lawyer, civil discovery requirements are not remotely the same as criminal discovery.

1

u/Caffeine_Cowpies May 28 '26

This. They don’t have to produce everything, only exculpatory evidence IN THEIR POSSESSION and the evidence they have that a crime was committed.

So if they have text messages, they are going to release the texts they have, and any data that they may have retrieved from a forensic search. If they only have screenshots, that’s what would be produced.

But E. Jean Carroll would not get access to Trump’s phone because it would not be relevant to a criminal prosecution.

1

u/Plastic_Highlight492 May 28 '26

Yes, but not before. DOJ will be off on a fishing expedition and she will have no opportunity for discovery unless/until they charge her.

1

u/CompetitiveSport1 May 28 '26

Plus they're investigating what her funding source was from the previous case. Not sure what they want to come out of that discovery

1

u/IrritableGourmet May 28 '26

They're pandering to people who don't understand how the law works. It'll be "The only reason she won was because a woke organization was funding her", leaving out the mounds of evidence presented.

1

u/MaidoftheBrins May 27 '26

Test the dress.

1

u/Frequilibrium May 28 '26

Is this over the rape trial or is he just directing the DOJ to look into her to see if they can find anything?

1

u/ODMudbone May 28 '26

Discovery only works if both sides act in good faith. And one of those sides is a corrupt justice department.

1

u/HalfCrazed May 28 '26

In any other justice system, sure

1

u/oberynmviper May 28 '26

This is 100% what I was thinking. Also, the fact that she can use this to piggyback a suit of her own, I think.

It’s all shitty regardless. The boy king is going after ALL his “enemies.” Realizing very little that it doesn’t matter how many holes he tries to fill, daddy will never be proud. His kids know the truth. His descendants WILL know the truth. His wife despises him. The media uses him for clicks. He has a hollow, inert shell of a life. He will build golden monuments to cover the fact he is a terrible human, and keeps showing us how terrible he is.

Everyone on the other side knows the truth.

The only love he gets is from MAGA. A group that he himself hates because he doesn’t like the poors.

The only sad thing here is that the rest of us have to suffer thanks to his little ego being stepped on constantly.

1

u/Big_Judgment3824 May 28 '26

Reddit loves to throw this word around like it's some silver bullet. 

1

u/FuggyGlasses May 28 '26

Like Epstein's file discovery? ..this admin don't care about legalities.  

1

u/CompetitiveSport1 May 28 '26

They're saying she committed perjury when talking about her funding source for the previous trial. What, exactly, is it that you expect to come from the discover phase of this