The recent launch of a DOJ criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, centered on potential perjury in her 2022 deposition regarding outside funding for the civil suits against President Trump, has shaped trader views on federal charging prospects. Reports from late May 2026 highlighted scrutiny of statements about legal support from figures such as Reid Hoffman, though the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois promptly denied opening any probe into Carroll herself. Ongoing appeals of the civil verdicts at the Supreme Court and procedural hurdles typical of perjury cases add uncertainty. Any formal indictment would require the Justice Department to advance from inquiry to charging decisions, with limited public developments since the initial reports.