Topline
A House committee investigating the Jan 6th riot at the Capitol in the U.S. sent Wednesday a subpoena to Jeffrey Clark. This subpoena was for Jeffrey Clark, a former Department of Justice official that allegedly tried to use the DOJ in order to pursue former President Donald Trump's unfounded voter fraud claims. It is the latest subpoena from House investigators targeting Trump aides.
Jeffrey Clark, Assistant Attorney General, speaks at a news conference held by the Justice Department [+] in Washington on September 14, 2020. POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The Key Facts
The House committee requested Clark to turn over documents related to his post-election conduct, and to appear before it by Wednesday. The January 6th panel cited a Senate Judiciary investigation and stated that Clark, who was the head of the DOJ's civil section, was involved in attempts to disrupt the peaceful transfer.
Important Background
The election-related efforts of Clark came amid months-long, unproven allegations by Trump that his 2020 loss was due to widespread vote-rigging. This is a questionable theory Trump used in his failed attempt to reverse the election results. According to the Senate Judiciary, Clark suggested that the DOJ send a note encouraging Georgian officials to take any necessary action in light of alleged vote irregularities. Clark also encouraged Jeffrey Rosen, the then-acting Attorney general, to host a press conference in which he claimed that the DOJ was investigating voter fraud. According to Senate investigators, Clark suggested that Trump offered to make him the attorney general.
Tangent
The House committee, which consists of seven Democrats as well as two Republicans, has spanned a broad net. It is looking for information on pro-Trump rallies that were organized before the January 6th riot. Last month, it sent subpoenas to Trump's former Chief Of Staff Mark Meadows, White House staffer Dan Scavino and ex-Pentagon Chief Chief of Staff Kash Paltel. Investigators requested documents from Trump's era, including communications on January 6, and information about allegations of voter fraud.
What to Watch
Last week, Bannon stated that he would not comply with the House subpoena. Bannon claimed that his participation in the probe would be against executive privilege, which allows presidents to keep secret communications. The committee stated that it will quickly consider referring anyone who violates a subpoena, to the DOJ. This could lead to criminal contempt of Congress.
