Trump ally Jeffrey Clark should be disbarred over 2020 election effort, DC panel says
The D.C. Board of Professional Responsibility's recommendation will now go to the D.C. Court of Appeals for a final decision. Under the second Trump administration, Clark has been serving as acting head of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, a part of the Office of Management and Budget that is responsible for reviewing executive branch regulations. OMB spokesperson Rachel Cauley said in a post on X that, 'this latest injustice is just another chapter in the Deep State's ongoing assault on President Trump and those who stood beside him in defense of the truth. JEFF CLARK has been harassed, raided, doxed and blacklisted simply for questioning a RIGGED election and serving President Trump,' she wrote.
At issue in the D.C. bar proceedings was a letter that Clark, as an assistant attorney general in the first Trump administration, drafted that said the Justice Department was investigating various irregularities and had identified significant concerns that may have impacted the election in Georgia and other states. Clark wanted the letter sent to Georgia lawmakers but Justice Department superiors refused.
The board said disciplinary counsel proved that Clark made intentionally false statements when he continued to push for the Justice Department to issue the letter after being told by superiors that it contained falsehoods. 'Lawyers cannot advocate for any outcome based on false statements and they certainly cannot urge others to do so,' the board's report said. 'Respondent persistently and energetically sought to do just that on an important national issue. He should be disbarred as a consequence and to send a message to the rest of the Bar and to the public that this behavior will not be tolerated.'
Clark's attorney, Harry MacDougald, argued during disciplinary hearings last year that the letter was part of the debate that normally occurs between lawyers and that punishing Clark in those circumstances would have a chilling effect.
Clark's conflict with Justice Department superiors culminated in a contentious hourslong meeting at the White House on Jan. 3, 2021, in which Trump openly considered installing Clark as acting attorney general, according to a Senate Judiciary report. Several officials in the Jan. 3 meeting told Trump they would resign if he put Clark in charge at the Justice Department. Another close Trump ally, Rudy Giuliani, was disbarred in Washington last year months after he lost his law license in New York for pursuing false claims Trump made about his 2020 election loss.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
8 minutes ago
- Arab News
Pakistan to get export boost after US slashed tariffs in new trade deal — deputy finance chief
ISLAMABAD: State Minister for Finance and Revenue Bilal Azhar Kayani said on Thursday Pakistan expected a significant boost in exports to the United States following successful trade negotiations that convinced President Donald Trump's administration to lower tariffs on Pakistani products to 19%. Pakistan and the United States finalized a trade agreement last week under which 19% tariff was imposed on a wide range of Pakistani goods. The new rate marked a considerable reduction from the initially proposed 29% under a sweeping executive order signed by Trump. Islamabad had pushed for a lower tariff than its regional competitors, including Vietnam, which now faces a 20% tariff, and India, whose exports were hit with an additional 25% levy a day earlier over continued imports of Russian oil. 'The trade deal that has just been finalized with America has resulted in us getting a 19% tariff, the lowest tariff in the South Asia region,' Kayani told lawmakers in the National Assembly. 'This, God willing, will certainly lead to an increase in our exports.' He emphasized the US was already Pakistan's largest export destination. 'In the last fiscal year, out of $32 billion in exports, $6 billion went to America. So this is definitely a tried and tested market, our biggest export market, and the relative reduction in this tariff will certainly benefit us.' Kayani said the trade breakthrough reflected a broader improvement in US-Pakistan relations, contrasting the current diplomatic engagement with a period of strained ties under the government led by the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. 'No one could have imagined that we would have this kind of relationship with America today, or that we would be signing a trade deal like this, one that would give Pakistan the lowest tariff in the South Asia region,' he said, urging the opposition to acknowledge the government's achievement. He also linked the ongoing momentum in the bilateral relations to what he called 'diplomatic victories' after Pakistan's recent four-day military standoff with India, which ended with a US-brokered ceasefire on May 10. The minister noted that bilateral cooperation with Washington had expanded since then, adding that Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, was invited to the White House for a meeting with President Trump in the aftermath of the same conflict. Kayani's remarks come at a time when Pakistan and the United States strengthen ties in key sectors including security, trade and investment. President Trump announced earlier this month his administration would assist Pakistan in developing its oil reserves. Washington and Islamabad are also collaborating in cryptocurrency, with Pakistan eyeing US investment in mining, rare earths and information technology.
Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Legacy media, polarized politics & America's future
On this episode of the Riz Khan Show, veteran journalist Christian Caryl joins the conversation. A sharp voice in global affairs, Caryl breaks down the polarized state of American politics – from the Biden presidency to the Trump era – and what it all means for the American people and the world.
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Kremlin Aide: Putin and Trump Will Meet in Coming Days
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump will meet in the coming days, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on Thursday, in what would be the first summit between leaders of the two countries since 2021. "At the suggestion of the American side, an agreement was essentially reached to hold a bilateral meeting at the highest level in the coming days, that is, a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump," Ushakov said. "We are now beginning concrete preparations together with our American colleagues," Interfax news agency quoted him as saying. He did not say where the summit would take place. Putin was due later on Thursday to meet the president of the United Arab Emirates, which sources have previously suggested as a possible venue. Russia's stock market index rose 4.5% after the announcement of the meeting. There has been no summit of US and Russian leaders since Putin and Joe Biden met in Geneva in June 2021. Russia went to war in Ukraine in February 2022, plunging relations into deep crisis. Trump has moved to mend relations with Russia and try to end the war, although in his public comments he has veered between admiration and sharp condemnation of Putin. According to Reuters, Ushakov said Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, at a meeting with Putin on Wednesday, had raised the possibility of a three-way meeting of Trump, Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. But he said the Russian side had left this proposal "completely without comment". "We propose, first of all, to focus on preparing for a bilateral meeting with Trump and we believe that the main thing is for this meeting to be successful and productive," Ushakov said.
