The Department of Justice opened a reported criminal inquiry in May 2026 into E. Jean Carroll focused on possible perjury during her civil deposition testimony about outside funding for her successful lawsuits against President Trump, including contributions from a Reid Hoffman-linked nonprofit. The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois promptly issued a public denial that his office had opened or ever opened any such probe targeting Carroll herself. No indictment or formal federal charges have followed amid ongoing appeals in the underlying civil matters, which the Supreme Court declined to review in 2026. Traders assessing the December 31, 2026, resolution window weigh the administration’s pattern of scrutiny toward Trump adversaries against procedural barriers, evidentiary thresholds for perjury in civil proceedings, and the absence of further public developments since the initial reports.