{"id":2034856,"date":"2023-09-16T18:24:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-16T22:24:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jeffrey-clark-argues-trump-added-2020-election-activity-to-his-official-duties\/"},"modified":"2023-09-16T18:26:08","modified_gmt":"2023-09-16T22:26:08","slug":"jeffrey-clark-argues-trump-added-2020-election-activity-to-his-official-duties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jeffrey-clark-argues-trump-added-2020-election-activity-to-his-official-duties\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeffrey Clark claims Trump included 2020 election tasks in his official responsibilities."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjeffrey-clark-argues-trump-added-2020-election-activity-to-his-official-duties%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2034856&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>Ahead of a Monday hearing, \u200bformer \u2063Justice Department (DOJ) official Jeffrey Clark is arguing\u200c that former President Donald\u200b Trump changed Mr. Clark&#8217;s job description to encompass 2020 election activity, forming the basis that\u2063 his case should be removed from\u200c state to \u2063federal court.<\/p>\n<p>In August,\u200b Mr. Clark\u200b was charged \u2062alongside President\u200b Trump and 17\u200b others in a racketeering case over their challenge of the 2020 election \u2062results. Prosecutor Fani Willis, the\u2062 district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia,\u200b alleges those actions constituted a &#8220;criminal racketeering enterprise.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>All defendants were charged with violating the state&#8217;s\u200d Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations\u2064 (RICO) Act, and another 40 counts total.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<div class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/powells-lawyer-says-evidence-will-clear-her-in-trumps-georgia-election-case-5491637\">Powell&#8217;s Lawyer Says Evidence Will Clear Her in Trump&#8217;s Georgia Election Case<\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/15\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/powells-lawyer-says-evidence-will-clear-her-in-trumps-georgia-election-case-5491637\"><\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/trumps-georgia-election-trial-will-not-commence-in-october-judge-5491923\">Trump Secures a Rare Victory in \u200bGeorgia Election Case<\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/14\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/trumps-georgia-election-trial-will-not-commence-in-october-judge-5491923\"><\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Mr. Clark was charged with violating RICO as well as one count of &#8220;criminal attempt to commit false statements and writings.&#8221; All of \u200cthe racketeering acts in the indictment, of which \u200bthere are 161 total, naming Mr. Clark are related to his \u200cinvolvement in issuing a DOJ statement that noted the\u2062 agency had &#8220;identified significant concerns that \u200bmay have impacted the outcome of the election in multiple States, including the State of Georgia.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>    &#8220;The President discussed the letter and election topics directly with Mr. Clark,\u200c and directly sought his opinions and advice,&#8221; \u2063attorneys for Mr. Clark wrote, adding emphasis to the line. &#8220;The President has the unqualified and illimitable right to seek and obtain such advice from his senior legal advisors. This act by the President conclusively ratified that Mr. Clark\u2019s responsibilities included the election-related issues \u200bdiscussed in the draft letter, and that all of his charged conduct \u200dwas under color of law.&#8221;<br \/>\n  \u200c<\/p>\n<h2>Removal\u2064 Hearing<\/h2>\n<p>    District Judge Steve Jones has \u200balready declined to hear co-defendant Mark \u200bMeadows, former chief of staff to the president, \u200bin federal court. After an all-day hearing, he remanded, \u200bor moved, the case \u2064back to \u2064state court. Mr. Meadows is currently appealing the decision in the 11th Circuit.\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<p>Both Mr. Meadows and Mr. Clark had argued that as federal officers, they \u2062can only be tried in federal court.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>They cited \u200bprecedent rulings on the Supremacy\u2062 Clause, which elevates federal law above state law, \u200band explained that\u200c the federal government would &#8220;cease to\u200c exist&#8221; if it had\u200c no power to protect itself in exercising constitutional powers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>    Mr. Clark&#8217;s new reply, filed on Thursday\u2063 (<a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.gand.319419\/gov.uscourts.gand.319419.41.0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pdf<\/a>), argues \u2063that many of the\u2064 prosecution&#8217;s \u2062arguments against Mr. Meadows&#8217;s removal were incorrect, and supplies\u200c additional defenses for Mr. Clark in support\u2064 of the removal. Mr. Meadows&#8217;s case is different from Mr. Clark&#8217;s in that it included several acts, and the judge deemed some of them part of his official\u2062 duties \u2064and some not.\u2063 Mr. Clark&#8217;s charges only involve the one statement.\n  <\/div>\n<p>The reply also makes reference to the &#8220;absolute immunity&#8221;\u200d of a U.S. President that arose out of a civil case a fired contractor brought\u200b against then-President Richard Nixon.\u2064 President Trump&#8217;s exercise \u200bof his executive authority in assigning matters to officials like Mr. Clark cannot be subject to state proceedings, they \u200dargue.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The U.S. \u200dConstitution does not allow any\u2064 state\/local government to examine or\u2062 otherwise regulate the internal deliberations that occur on a daily basis among the President, his office, and senior \u200dgovernment officials, including the Acting Attorney General,\u2064 the PDAG, or any Assistant Attorneys General,&#8221; the filing reads.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>    &#8220;Such interference in the\u200d federal sphere cannot be\u200d allowed. Removal is the first line\u2063 of \u2062defense in upholding the constitutional order \u200bin this context.&#8221;<br \/>\n  \u200b \u200d<\/p>\n<h2>DOJ Meeting Leaked?<\/h2>\n<p>    \u2064 The prosecution&#8217;s evidence includes an email chain and a description of a lengthy meeting that preceded the statement \u2064related to Mr. Clark&#8217;s charge.<br \/>\n \u2062\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<p>Mr. Clark had sent \u2064a draft letter to colleagues on Dec. 28, \u200b2020, and \u200clater in a\u2064 &#8220;contentious meeting&#8221; that \u2063included President Trump, Mr. Clark, \u2062Assistant Attorney General for \u200dthe Office of Legal Counsel Steven Engel, White House Counsel Patrick Cipollone, Deputy White House Counsel \u2063Patrick \u2062Philbin, and\u2063 White\u2062 House lawyer Eric Herschmann, they discussed sending the letter.<\/p>\n<p>President\u2063 Trump was initially in favor of\u2063 sending the letter, but had changed his mind by\u200c the end of the meeting several hours later. \u2062Mr. Clark&#8217;s attorneys wrote that\u2064 this meeting was a privileged discussion that was not leaked by\u200b Mr. Clark, and should never have become public. Yet, they became part of \u2064the charges against him, \u200bas the indictment notes that other DOJ officials were opposed to the letter.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>    &#8220;It simply \u200cdoes not matter for purposes of removal&#8221; whether others opposed the letter, Mr. Clark \u200bargued. &#8220;The color-of-law test\u200b does \u2064not turn on \u2062such questions.\u200b The Constitution gives the President the \u2062ultimate authority to &#8216;take Care \u2064that\u2062 the Laws be faithfully executed,&#8217; not those other officials.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Removing the Special Purpose Grand \u2064Jury Proceedings<\/h2>\n<p>    In addition to removing the \u2064case\u2063 against him, Mr. Clark has sought to remove the\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jeffrey-clark-argues-trump-added-2020-election-activity-to-his-official-duties\/\" title=\"Jeffrey Clark claims Trump included 2020 election tasks in his official responsibilities.\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fulton-county-judge-orders-rudy-giuliani-lindsey-graham-to-testify-in-2020-election-probe\/\" title=\"Fulton County Judge Orders Rudy Giuliani, Lindsey Graham to Testify in 2020 Election Probe\">special purpose grand jury<\/a> proceedings<\/a>\u200d from state court.<br \/>\n  \u200b\n  <\/div>\n<p>Before a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-special-grand-jury-submits-trump-probe-report\/\" title=\"Georgia Special Grand Jury Submits Trump Probe Report\">regular grand jury<\/a> had handed up the 41-count indictment, a special purpose grand jury had heard testimonies from 75 witnesses before issuing a report and recommending charges be brought against 39 individuals.<\/p>\n<p>The district attorney&#8217;s office\u200d has argued this \u200dshould not happen because the proceedings are not \u200ban &#8220;action.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Clark\u2063 argued \u2064in the reply that\u2062 &#8220;actions&#8221; under the applicable\u2064 statute include &#8220;proceedings\u2062 (whether or \u200cnot ancillary to another proceeding),&#8221; and the special purpose grand jury was &#8220;surely that.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The SPGJ Proceedings are inextricably linked\u200c to the indictment \u2063action, allowing both to be removed based on the timing of \u200cthat indictment,&#8221; attorneys for Mr. Clark\u2064 previously wrote, in arguing for the proceedings to be removed.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Georgia is entirely fenced \u200dout\u2063 of trying to regulate \u200cfederal Justice Department lawyers engaged in internal deliberations.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How \u2064does the prosecution argue that Mr. Clark&#8217;s actions exceeded \u200bthe scope\u200b of \u200bhis duties as a \u2063DOJ official and \u2064constituted criminal \u2063activity<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Mr. Clark stated. &#8220;As a\u2062 result, Mr. Clark&#8217;s job duties included investigating and challenging the 2020 election results.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The defense argued that this change in job description justified removing\u2062 the case from \u200dstate to federal court. They claimed that Mr. Clark&#8217;s actions were in the scope of his \u200dofficial duties \u200bas a DOJ \u200bofficial, and therefore should be\u2062 considered as federal actions. They argued\u2063 that federal \u2064court would be the appropriate venue \u2064to\u2062 adjudicate these allegations.<\/p>\n<p>The prosecution, on the other hand, disputed \u200cthese claims. They argued that Mr. Clark&#8217;s actions went beyond the \u200bscope of his duties as a DOJ official, and instead constituted criminal activity. They maintained that the case should remain in state court, where the alleged crimes occurred.<\/p>\n<p>The charges against Mr. Clark\u2064 and the other defendants are serious. Violating the\u2062 Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations\u2062 (RICO) Act is a significant offense that carries severe penalties. The prosecution\u200b alleges that the defendants engaged in\u2064 a criminal racketeering enterprise by challenging the 2020 election results.<\/p>\n<p>The indictment includes\u200c a total\u200c of \u200b161 racketeering acts, attributed to Mr. Clark&#8217;s involvement in issuing a DOJ \u2063statement regarding concerns about the election outcome in multiple states, including \u2064Georgia.\u200b The \u200cprosecution argues that these \u200cactions were not\u200c within the \u2063scope of Mr. Clark&#8217;s official duties and were instead part of a coordinated \u2062effort to undermine the integrity of the election.<\/p>\n<p>This case has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/defendant-requesting-speedy-trial-in-trump-election-case-pleads-not-guilty\/\" title=\"Defendant in Trump election case pleads not guilty, seeks speedy trial.\">garnered significant attention due<\/a> to \u2063its implications for the notion of electoral integrity and \u200cthe accountability of government officials. The 2020\u200b election was\u200b highly contentious, and allegations of voter fraud and irregularities were widespread. While some of these claims were thoroughly investigated and debunked,\u2062 others persisted, fueling conspiracy theories\u2064 and doubts about\u200d the legitimacy of the election results.<\/p>\n<p>It is important for the\u200c justice system to carefully examine these\u200c allegations and determine whether any wrongdoing occurred. If Mr. Clark and the other defendants are found guilty, it would send a strong message about the consequences of attempting to manipulate \u200delection \u200boutcomes and undermine democratic processes.<\/p>\n<p>The outcome\u2062 of\u200d this hearing and the subsequent trial\u200b will\u2063 likely \u2063have far-reaching implications. It will not only\u200d determine the \u2063fate of \u2064the defendants but also shape public discourse and perceptions about the 2020 election.\u2063 It is crucial \u2063that \u200cthe justice system ensures a fair and impartial proceeding to maintain public trust and confidence in the \u2063electoral process.<\/p>\n<p>As the case moves forward, it will \u2063be closely watched by legal experts, political commentators, and the general public. The fundamental principles of democracy and the rule of law are\u2063 at \u2063stake, and \u2062the resolution of this \u200bcase will\u2062 play \u2063a significant\u200b role in upholding these principles.<\/p>\n<p>In a time when trust in institutions and\u200c the democratic process \u2063is\u2062 under\u2063 scrutiny, it is essential for the justice system to\u2064 demonstrate its commitment to fairness and accountability. The outcome of this case will serve as a crucial test in the pursuit of justice and the preservation \u200bof democratic norms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ahead of a Monday hearing, ex-DOJ official Jeffrey Clark claims Trump expanded his role to include election matters, justifying his request to move the case from state to federal court. Clark, along with Trump and 17 others, was indicted in August.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2167,"featured_media":2034857,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2034856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2034856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2167"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2034856"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2034856\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2034857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2034856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2034856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2034856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}