Trump ally Clark attempted 'coup' at US Justice Dept, ethics counsel says

Source: Reuters

March 26, 2024 1:13 PM EDT


WASHINGTON, March 26 (Reuters) - Jeffrey Clark, a former senior official in the U.S. Justice Department, made false claims as he attempted to enlist the agency in former President Donald Trump's efforts to undo his 2020 election loss, a Washington ethics lawyer said on Tuesday.

Clark is facing a disciplinary hearing which could see him lose his license to practice law. Trump tried to put Clark in charge of the Justice Department in his administration's final days as Clark sought to pursue the former president's false claims of widespread voter fraud.

"What Mr. Clark was attempting to do was essentially a coup at the Department of Justice," Hamilton "Phil" Fox, the District of Columbia Bar disciplinary counsel said in his opening argument. Harry MacDougald, a lawyer representing Clark, denied that Clark had violated attorney ethics rules. He said Clark was engaged in "internal debate and disagreement" within the department about the impact of voter fraud on the election. "Mr. Clark should not be here for giving his candid opinion and independent judgment," MacDougald said.

Clark, who served as acting head of the Justice Department's civil division under Trump, faces a multi-day hearing on ethics charges that accuse him of attempting to take actions "involving dishonesty" and that "would seriously interfere with the administration of justice." Clark sought to send a letter to Georgia officials in December 2020 falsely claiming that the Justice Department had "identified significant concerns" that may have led to Trump's loss in that state, according to ethics charges filed in 2022.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-justice-official-clark-faces-ethics-hearing-over-2020-election-role-2024-03-26/