President Donald Trump‘s white House The lawyer warned officials against a plan for the Justice Department to tell states it had concerns about electoral fraud, describing a draft paper as a ‘murder-suicide pact,’ by the House. according to the testimony presented January 6 Committee on Thursday.
The panel’s fifth public hearing is hearing former Justice Department officials who were pressured by Trump to help reverse them 2020 election Result.
At its heart, it was a plan for justice officials to tell key states that they had evidence of electoral fraud.
In a video testimony, a top Justice Department official, Richard Donoghue, described a crucial White House meeting in which a more junior man, Jeffrey Clark, directly appealed to Trump to appoint an acting attorney general so that he could launch an investigation into the fraud. Can you
The meeting was heated, as officials said Clarke and his plan were dangerous, including White House lawyers.
“And Pat Cipollone weighed in at one point, I remember, you know, the letter that this guy wants to send that letter is a homicide suicide pact,” he said.
‘Everyone who touches it will be harmed and we have nothing to do with that letter. I never want to see that letter again.’
Former Acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue testified Thursday before the January 6 committee as it focused on the Justice Department’s role.
Discussions on Thursday focused on the role of the Justice Department, including a letter by Jeffrey Clark telling lawmakers in Georgia that the department had concerns about voter fraud in the state, choosing to elect an alternative slate of pro-Trump voters. under effort
Previous hearings have focused on how Trump was repeatedly told he lost the election.
Thursday shed light on the turmoil in the Justice Department and how Trump promoted Clarke to advance his claims of fraud.
It also included video testimony from former Attorney General Bill Barr, defending his decision to launch a fraud investigation, even though there was little evidence of wrongdoing.
Representative Liz Cheney offered her response, saying, ‘Why not just follow the routine action and let the investigation take place no later than January 6th.’
‘I felt that the responsible thing to do was to be in a position to see if there had been fraud.
‘And frankly, I think I’ve put myself in the position that I can say we saw it and didn’t think cheating was really important to move things along.
In testimony given during the hearing, former Attorney General Bill Barr said he did not think he would have been given ammunition to push back on Trump’s claims if he had not launched an investigation into election fraud.
“And I shudder to think what the state of the department would have been if we weren’t even looking at it until Biden comes to the office.”
‘I’m not sure we had an infection.’
The trial began after news emerged that federal agents had raided Clark’s home the day before.
they reached their suburbs Virginia According to several reports, home early in the morning.
An aide, Russ Vott, who headed the Office of Management and Budget at Trump white HouseSaid that Clark had to stand in the street in his pajamas.
Watt tweeted, ‘A new era of criminalization of politics in America is getting worse.
‘Yesterday more than a dozen DOJ law enforcement officers searched Jeff Clark’s home in a pre-dawn raid, put him on the streets in his PJs, and took away his electronic devices.’
Clark’s lawyers did not respond to requests for comment.
Federal agents reportedly searched the home of Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department attorney who was considered by former President Donald Trump to be installed as attorney general in the days before the January 6 Capitol riot.
Thursday’s hearing was the fifth public hearing held this month as the committee presented the findings of its investigation so far into the January 6, 2021 violence.
The Justice Department appears to be stepping up its investigation of pro-Trump attempts to overturn the 2020 election, which culminated in a deadly January 6 uprising.
Thursday’s hearing included discussions on plans to install Clarke as acting attorney general, so that the Justice Department could be headed by Trump loyalists who would pursue claims of fraud.
US Representative Scott Perry was among those who pushed Clark during meetings at the White House, according to the testimony of an aide.
Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, said in recorded testimony: “He wanted Mr. Clark – Mr. Jeff Clarke to take over the Justice Department.”
The committee also played video of Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, discussing the qualities they wanted in someone as the head of the Justice Department.
‘Beyond the president, I remember telling people that someone should be put in charge of the Justice Department who isn’t afraid of what’s going to happen to their reputation. Because justice was full of such people.’ They said.