Coup conspirator Jeffrey Clark a top contender to lead DOJ if Trump wins a second term

Former Trump Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, who has been implicated in the plot to overturn the 2020 election results, is reportedly a top contender for attorney general if Donald Trump wins a second term.

Top officials threatened to resign en masse if Trump installed Clark as the head of the Justice Department in a last-ditch effort to remain in power, but the former assistant attorney general has emerged as a favorite for that leadership position as the former president prepares for a possible return to the White House, reported Axios.

"Back in April, as Clark circulated at Mar-a-Lago wearing a loose-fitting black suit and blue shirt, any troubles related to the Jan. 6 investigation seemed a world away," reported Axios correspondent Jonathan Swan. "Clark sounded optimistic. Half a dozen or so donors and Trump allies surrounded him at the high-top table."

Clark told one of the donors that he believed Trump had learned a lesson from his first and would only appoint a loyalist to lead the Department of Justice, and Swan reported that could be the former official who is currently under investigation by that same agency.

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"There was a buzz around Clark," Swan reported. "Given Trump wanted to make him attorney general in the final days of his first term, it is likely that Clark would be a serious contender for the top job in a second term."