Trump DOJ official splits with attorney ahead of meeting with Jan. 6 committee

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Jeffrey Clark, the Justice Department (DOJ) official once ready to risk it all to promote former President Donald Trump’s lies about the results of the 2020 election, has reportedly parted ways with his attorney just 24 hours ahead of a meeting with investigators on the Jan. 6 committee.

Clark, the former acting attorney general of the DOJ’s civil division under Trump, was represented by Robert Driscoll until Thursday, but according to a report first issued by Politico, Clark and Driscoll have since split. The reasons for the break are unclear, and Driscoll—an attorney for the Washington, D.C., firm McGlinchey Stafford and member of the conservative Federalist Society—did not return a request for comment.

It is unlikely, however, that the longtime attorney would step foot before lawmakers without counsel present. Clark’s position has been fraught in the weeks since the Senate Judiciary Committee released its extensive 394-page report unraveling how Trump and Clark, among others, allegedly worked in tandem to overturn the 2020 election.

Clark was subpoenaed by the Jan. 6 committee on Oct. 13. Investigators specifically demanded he provide testimony and records regarding his proposal, according to the Senate report, to deliver a letter to legislators in Georgia requesting they delay certification of election results over the administration’s concerns that they were invalid.

No proof of widespread fraud was ever found in Georgia or elsewhere in the United States; even Trump’s own attorney general, William Barr, concluded there was no evidence of fraud in the election.

“Moreover, he recommended holding a press conference announcing that the Department was investigating allegations of voter fraud despite the lack of evidence that such fraud was present,” a statement from the committee highlighted earlier this month.

Indicated in a sweeping number of emails and other records comprising the Senate Judiciary Committee’s report, Clark was also ready to replace then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen at Trump’s alleged behest. When Rosen balked at Clark’s “proof of concept” claiming election fraud, Clark, the Senate report said, told Rosen he could replace him at the ready.

As Clark’s appointment with the Jan. 6 committee looms, so too might a contempt charge for former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. According to reports on Thursday, Meadows has yet to fully comply with a subpoena issued by the committee in September.

Trump crony Steve Bannon has flatly refused cooperation with the committee’s subpoena. The House of Representatives has since found him in contempt; a decision on whether the Justice Department will prosecute is expected soon.