By Steve Neavling
Jeffrey Clark, the former Justice Department official who assisted Donald Trump’s final efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, repeatedly pleaded the Fifth in a disbarment hearing Wednesday, NBC News reports.
Clark, whom Trump wanted to head the DOJ just before the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol, sought to explore a conspiracy theory that the 2020 presidential election had been rigged.
Just hours before the Capitol attack, Trump came close to appointing Clark as the acting attorney general but reconsidered when the DOJ leadership warned of mass resignations.
Clark, who is facing criminal charges in Georgia in the alleged racketeering conspiracy to corrupt the election, could lose his law license.
The Office of Disciplinary Counsel is considering revoking his license to practice law in Washington D.C.
The hearing also featured testimony from former acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen, his deputy Richard Donoghue and former deputy White House counsel Pat Philbin. The trio testified that Clark circumvented his bosses to meet with Trump.
Donoghue testified that Clark was “way out of his bounds, way out of his lane,” pointing out that Clark was an environmental lawyer with no criminal or election expertise.
