Source: Rosen tells of efforts to subvert election

He also discovered that Clark had been engaging in unauthorized conversations with Trump about ways to have the Justice Department publicly cast doubt on President Joe Biden’s victory, particularly in battleground states that Trump was fixated on.

WASHINGTON — Jeffrey Rosen, who was acting attorney general during the Trump administration, has told the Justice Department watchdog and congressional investigators that one of his deputies tried to help former President Donald Trump subvert the results of the 2020 election, according to a person familiar with the interviews.

Rosen had a two-hour meeting Friday with the Justice Department’s office of the inspector general and provided Saturday closed-door testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The investigations were opened after a New York Times article that detailed efforts by Jeffrey Clark, acting head of the Justice Department’s civil division, to push top leaders to falsely and publicly assert that ongoing election fraud investigations cast doubt on the Electoral College results.

That prompted Trump to consider ousting Rosen and installing Clark at the top of the department to carry out that plan. Trump never fired Rosen, but the plot highlights the former president’s desire to batter the Justice Department into advancing his personal agenda.

Clark, who did not respond to requests for comment, said in January that all of his official communications with the White House “were consistent with law,” and that he had engaged in “a candid discussion of options and pros and cons with the president.”

Rosen did not respond to requests for comment. The inspector general’s spokesperson declined to comment.

Rosen has emerged as a key witness in multiple investigations that focus on Trump’s efforts to undermine election results. He has publicly stated that the Justice Department did not find enough fraud to impact the outcome of the election.

On Friday, Rosen told investigators from the inspector general’s office about five encounters with Clark, including one in late December during which his deputy admitted to meeting with Trump and pledged that he would not do so again, according to a person familiar with the interview.

Rosen also described subsequent exchanges with Clark, who continued to press colleagues to make statements about the election that they found to be untrue, according to a person familiar with the interview.

He also discovered that Clark had been engaging in unauthorized conversations with Trump about ways to have the Justice Department publicly cast doubt on President Joe Biden’s victory, particularly in battleground states that Trump was fixated on. Clark drafted a letter that he asked Rosen to send to Georgia state legislators, wrongly asserting that they should void Biden’s victory because the Justice Department was investigating accusations of voter fraud.

Such a letter would effectively undermine efforts by Clark’s colleagues to prevent the White House from overturning the election results, and Rosen and his top deputy, Richard Donoghue, rejected the proposal.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said Rosen discussed previously reported episodes, including his interactions with Clark, with the Senate Judiciary Committee. He called Rosen’s account “dramatic evidence of how intent Trump was in overthrowing the election.”

Blumenthal said Rosen presented new facts and evidence that led him to believe that the committee would need to answer “profound and important questions” about the roles that individuals in Trump’s orbit played in the effort to undermine the peaceful transition of power, “which is what Trump tried to do, intently and concertedly.”

As details of Clark’s actions emerge, it is unclear what, if any, consequences he could face.

The Justice Department’s inspector general could make a determination about whether Clark crossed the line into potentially criminal behavior. In that case, the inspector general could refer the matter to federal prosecutors.

Rosen has spent much of the year in discussions with the Justice Department over what information he could provide to investigators, given that decision-making conversations between administration officials are usually kept confidential.

Douglas Collins, a lawyer for Trump, said last week that the former president would not seek to bar former Justice Department officials from speaking with investigators. But Collins said he might take some undisclosed legal action if congressional investigators sought “privileged information.”