Chicago U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros, who is currently facing criticism for his office’s handling of the “Broadview Six” case in the city, is now leading an investigation into E. Jean Carroll, sources confirmed to NBC News.
Carroll, a former magazine writer, accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a New York department store in the mid-1990s. She was awarded $5 million in damages in 2023 by a jury that found Trump liable for sexually abusing her. The following year, Carroll won an $83 million civil judgment in a defamation case.
The revelations that Boutros is investigating Carroll come amid growing fallout over the unraveling of the Broadview Six trial.
In a statement issued Thursday afternoon, Boutros denies that any investigation has been opened by his office, calling reporting by NBC News, CNN and other outlets “categorically false,” according to his office.
“In light of wide-spread reporting and intense media and public interest into the E. Jean Carroll matter in New York, the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office can confirm that it has not opened – and has never opened – a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll. Any claim to the contrary is categorically false,” he said.
Amid the reports, former prosecutors are speaking out on what they believe is a “credibility crisis” in one of the most important offices.
Last August, Boutros told NBC 5 Investigates he would continue with tradition and politics would play no role in bringing charges.
“We do our job without fear or favor. I’m not a politician, I’m the chief law enforcement officer for the northern district of Illinois,” Boutros told Chuck Goudie.
But former federal prosecutors are coming forward saying those days appear to be gone.
“Unfortunately there is a credibility crisis in this office and I think the reputation of this office by the actions of this U.S. attorney have sullied the reputation of this long storied office,” said former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who served as a federal prosecutor in the same U.S. Attorney’s office from 1996-2002.
Lightfoot said the admission of errors in the Broadview Six case – including contacting grand jurors outside of court, and dismissing grand jurors who didn’t agree on bringing charges – suggests politics are guiding the office’s decisions.
NBC News reported that Boutros is probing E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuits over her sexual abuse allegations against President Donald Trump, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
“This is all about punishment and all about bullying, and it breaks my heart that this U.S. Attorney’s office is part of this mess,’ Lightfoot said.
Former AUSA Randall Samborn said the Carroll case appears to lack legal merit, and said it wastes resources that could go toward prosecuting crime and corruption in Chicago.
“Why should Chicago assistant U.S. attorneys who are fewer in numbers be in the position of devoting their time and limited resources to a case like this?” Samborn told NBC 5.
The news comes a day after Boutros announced “Sweeping reforms” into the way his prosecutors handle grand juries, amid revelations they mishandled the grand jury process and had to drop charges against the Broadview Six.
