Capitol riot committee subpoenas Trump DOJ official who was instrumental in election coup attempt

The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol has subpoenaed former Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Clark.

In a statement, the committee said Clark was "reportedly involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and interrupt the peaceful transfer of power. The subpoena seeks deposition testimony and records from Mr. Clark as part of the Select Committee's investigation into the events of January 6th and the causes of that day's violence."

The statement then elaborated on why it wanted Clark to testify.

"According to a report released last week by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, there is credible evidence that, while serving as an official at the Department of Justice, Mr. Clark was involved in efforts to interrupt the peaceful transfer of power. Mr. Clark proposed delivery of a letter to state legislators in Georgia and others encouraging to delay certification of election results. Moreover, he recommended holding a press conference announcing that the Department was investigating allegations of voter fraud despite the lack of evidence that such fraud was present. Both proposals were rejected by Department senior leadership for lacking a factual basis and being inconsistent with the Department's institutional role," the committee said. "The subpoena requires Mr. Clark to produce records and testify at a deposition on October 29th, 2021."

Chair Bennie Thompson (D-MS) explained why Clark was subpoenaed.

"The Select Committee needs to understand all the details about efforts inside the previous administration to delay the certification of the 2020 election and amplify misinformation about the election results. We need to understand Mr. Clark's role in these efforts at the Justice Department and learn who was involved across the administration. The Select Committee expects Mr. Clark to cooperate fully with our investigation," Thompson said.