The US Department of Justice has opened an investigation into American Future
Republic, a group linked to billionaire Reid Hoffman, after it partially funded
writer E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuit against President Trump, a person familiar with
the matter said. The probe, led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago, is
examining possible money laundering and obstruction of justice related to the
group’s payment of Carroll’s legal fees in the case in which she accused Trump
of sexual assault and defamation and prevailed. Investigators are reviewing
whether Carroll gave false testimony in 2022 about the source of the suit’s
funding; Carroll is not a target of the probe, the source said.
