Where is Attorney Jeffrey Clark Now?
Clark was so enthusiastic in supporting Trump’s election fraud allegations that it nearly earned him a position at the Justice Department. He convinced Rosen and Donoghue to meet with Trump who offered Clark an acting attorney general role.
Plan fell through due to mass resignation threats from senior Justice Department officials, leading Clark to join the Center for Renewing America as a senior fellow and continue posting social media about President Donald Trump’s false election claims.
What is he doing?
House investigators are conducting an intensive probe into former Justice Department lawyer Christopher Clark’s involvement in an attempt by President Donald Trump to overturn election results, potentially uncovering a wider conspiracy to manipulate American democracy. Clark once served as one of his legal advisors but now finds himself under immense scrutiny as House investigators scour through his past legal work for evidence against other potential targets in their investigations. Clark may provide key insight that allows prosecutors to bring charges against others involved.
Clark was part of President Donald Trump’s civil division, handling cases ranging from environmental protection to banking regulations. A highly skilled legal professional, Clark had previously worked at top firms across the nation – after graduating law school he served as clerk to Judge Danny Boggs of the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit before joining Kirkland & Ellis as both an associate from 1996-2001 and partner from 2005-2018.
Trump attempted to install Clark as acting attorney general during the final days of his presidency; however, this attempt was blocked by DOJ officials who warned that doing so would result in mass resignations from within their department.
One thing that distinguished Clark from other top DOJ leaders was his support of Donald Trump’s false allegations of voter fraud. Clark frequently posted on the president’s own social media network and encouraged his bosses to press for an investigation of such fraud.
Clark had such strong ties to President Clinton that he was offered an assistant attorney general position at the Department of Justice’s civil division in 2022; he chose instead to return to private practice by joining Kirkland & Ellis LLP’s Washington office in 2025.
Clark serves as senior fellow of the pro-Trump think tank Center for Renewing America and as an active member of the National Republican Trust, an umbrella political group supporting party candidates. Additionally, he’s spoken at various conservative conferences as a guest speaker or been featured as an occasional guest on Fox News or other conservative talk shows.
Why is he not in court?
Clark is currently being investigated by federal prosecutors for assisting President Trump’s attempt to overturn election results in Georgia and other states, using his former position with DOJ lawyer Michael Daniel. It’s likely he will cooperate with them shortly and help strengthen their case against Trump.
Last summer, Clark made headlines when federal agents raided his home wearing body cameras that captured footage showing him undress during the search process. Investigators attempted to question Clark, but he invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination before invoking it himself and withdrawing himself from service with DOJ and joining Heartland Institute, an organization founded by ex-Trump officials to advance climate denialism and anti-vaccine conspiracy theories.
Clark is currently facing a disciplinary hearing before the DC Bar, an organization responsible for regulating lawyers in DC. This disciplinary proceeding involves the draft letter referenced in Monday’s indictment against him; according to its disciplinary panel, this draft letter proves he “sought to interfere with an ongoing investigation,” thus violating ethical regulations of the D.C. Bar.
A judge has provided the DC Bar with the green light to resume long-stalled disciplinary proceedings against Clark, who served as an important Department of Justice official during President Trump’s final months in the White House and amid allegations of plotting by Trump and Giuliani to overturn election results by convincing states to use fraudulent voters against Vice President Biden.
The Clark case arises from a complaint filed by the select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol Riots. It found that Clark exerted pressure on then-acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen and Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue to launch investigations into voter fraud claims in Georgia in order to keep Trump from losing to Biden in 2020 election. That plan, including threats by Rosen and Donoghue to resign themselves if their demands weren’t granted by other senior DOJ officials, failed and ultimately failed due to other senior DOJ officials rejecting it; hence it was referred back to prosecutors; their decision as to whether charges or others against Clark or others is still awaited.
What is he being charged with?
Jeffrey Clark’s rise to political prominence proved short-lived. The former Justice Department official was charged with multiple offenses related to President Trump’s attempt to influence election results by subverting ethics rules in Washington DC, and is being pursued for suspension or disbarment by prosecutors.
The DC Bar has charged that Clark engaged in “dishonest acts and attempted to seriously interfere with the administration of justice,” by using his position at the Justice Department to back Trump’s false claims about voter fraud and by breaking laws to help keep Trump in power.
Clark was in charge of Justice’s civil division before President Trump’s administration collapsed and led an effort to cast doubt upon election results. He wrote a letter requesting state governments in pro-Biden states convene their legislatures and review the vote, only for this request to be blocked by then acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen and deputy Richard Donoghue at Justice.
According to the criminal indictment, on December 31 Clark pressured his bosses at the Justice Department for a leadership change by alleging widespread voting fraud and that Trump might appoint him acting attorney general if Rosen and Donoghue signed his proposed letter to states. These efforts failed and they denied Clark’s request for leadership change.
Clark attempted to exert pressure on his superiors by writing Georgia officials on official letterhead and asserting that there were major concerns with their election despite no proof to back it up. He reportedly pressured Rosen and Donoghue into investigating electoral fraud claims made by Trump but they were unable to do so without violating ethics rules themselves.
Clark was just starting to face problems when he was hit with criminal charges. Federal investigators searched his home in June and seized electronic devices; however, this week when filings from the DC Bar revealed the search.
Who is he working for?
Clark was charged by the DC disciplinary office with lying and interfering with justice administration; yet, despite these accusations he continues to work at Trump-aligned Center for Renewing America as part of their legal training team. A representative from CfRA explained his value as part of their team.
The group has been pushing the Trump administration to replace acting Attorney General Rod Rosenstein with another nominee, though that seems to have stalled. Additionally, federal investigators were reported searching Clark’s home as part of an inquiry into his efforts against Rosen.
Clark boasts the usual conservative lawyer credentials: Harvard and Georgetown law schools, clerkships with federal appeals court judges and partnership at Kirkland & Ellis firm. Since being introduced to President Donald Trump by Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry in 2021, he has become a close ally.
At the time, Clark was pushing President Trump to name him acting attorney general so he could use his powers to try to overthrow the 2020 election by replacing state-certified electors with his own scheme of replacing state electors with electors not certified by states. Later in front of Senate Judiciary Committee hearings he admitted there was no evidence of voter fraud and all his efforts were political in nature.
While some Democrats want Clark included in the House Judiciary Committee’s investigation of election interference allegations, others assert he is not suitable and suggest moving on without him. Clark has had his reputation damaged as a result of being charged.
Clark isn’t the only high-profile Trump ally facing legal trouble. A Washington Post reporter revealed that an adviser to President Trump warned their boss to steer clear of a political consultant spreading false claims of voter fraud. According to this advisor, they had heard from people within the Justice Department that this consultant was spreading lies that were being used against election interference investigations.