An attorney disciplinary panel in Washington has issued an initial decision against Clark that suggests he could face sanctions up to and including disbarment for helping President Donald Trump cast doubt upon election fraud allegations in Georgia, where criminal charges are also being filed against him.
Clark, an environmental lawyer, sought to use the Justice Department as a tool of political power for Donald Trump, but ultimately relented under threat of mass resignations within its ranks.
What is he doing?
Jeff Clark is a former Department of Justice official who is fighting to keep his law license. He is being investigated for helping President Donald Trump spread conspiracy theories alleging widespread voter fraud after their election loss to Hillary Clinton.
Clark began pressuring his DOJ superiors to send letters to state legislatures alleging widespread “concerns” about fraud at the agency, even after being advised against doing so by senior DOJ officials and White House personnel. Clark refused their advice.
Over the past two weeks, Clark has been testifying at a Washington panel disciplinary hearing which could result in his losing his law license. To defend himself he claims he simply provided honest legal advice.
He argued that the evidence presented against him in his disciplinary case was circumstantial and therefore could not be trusted. Additionally, his diverse practice encompasses buying and leasing commercial real estate properties.
Where is he?
Jeffrey Clark, former Justice Department attorney and longtime supporter of President Trump, is joining the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as a senior adviser. According to sources familiar with his work, Clark reports directly to acting CFPB Director Russell Vought. Clark played an instrumental role in Trump’s attempts at engaging the Justice Department to overturn election losses in Georgia and other states.
Clark’s attempts to assist Trump were in violation of department rules and could have destabilized the nation, according to a panel that oversees DOJ attorneys. Clark’s role was so controversial that DOJ chief legal officer Richard Donoghue and acting AG Jeffrey Rosen personally called Clark in order to reprimand him.
A disciplinary hearing to decide whether Clark should lose his license for two years due to his involvement in a scheme is currently taking place. Clark has fought off suspension by asserting his Fifth Amendment right and invoking attorney-client privilege as defenses.
Why is he not in court?
A disciplinary panel is currently considering whether President Donald Trump’s former environmental lawyer Jeffrey Bossert Clark should retain his law license. According to this investigation, they found that Jeffrey failed to act independently as an attorney when he asked higher-ups at the Department of Justice for approval of an untruthful letter that cast doubt upon Georgia election results post-2020 election.
Clark was charged in two incidents: (1) sending emails to acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and acting Assistant Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue with false election fraud allegations; and (2) meeting with them both, according to a federal indictment.
Clark’s lawyers maintain that he was simply doing his job by drafting letters for Clark to send, and they note that no other lawyer has ever been charged with “attempted dishonesty” over unsent draft letters. A federal judge will make their ruling later this month.
Who is he working for?
This ruling marks the start of an official process that could see Clark suspended or even stripped of his legal license to practice law, after it found that he violated ethical rules when trying to use his position at the Justice Department to aid Donald Trump subvert his election in 2021.
At that time, Trump was seeking to substitute non-state-certified electors with those certified by states to overturn election results. Clark reported widespread voting fraud and pressured his superiors at Justice to aid Trump’s cause.
Clark boasts the traditional credentials for conservative lawyers: Harvard and Georgetown law degrees, clerkships with federal appeals court judges and partnership at Kirkland & Ellis. But in addition, he also specializes in environmental and antitrust matters having worked with clients from multiple countries; has successfully argued numerous cases before U.S. courts of appeals; and can manage large volumes of electronic data effectively.