Trump co-defendant Jeffrey Clark seeks to move Georgia election case to federal court

Source: NBC News

Sept. 18, 2023, 10:54 AM EDT


Lawyers for former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, a co-defendant in the Georgia election interference case, argued Monday that the case against him should be moved to federal court because he was acting in his official capacity when he urged DOJ brass to intervene in the 2020 election.

Prosecutors from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis's office countered in the hearing before U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones that the case should remain in state court because elections weren't within Clark's purview and he exceeded his authority. They called one of Clark's predecessors as head of DOJ's civil division, Jody Hunt, as a witness. Hunt testified the job had nothing to do with election fraud investigations, which were the responsibility of the civil rights division.

The DA's office alleges Clark was urging the then-acting U.S. Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen to send an official DOJ letter to Georgia's governor and legislative leaders saying the department had "identified significant concerns that may have impacted the outcome of the election in multiple States, including the State of Georgia."

Rosen refused to do so despite pressure from then-President Donald Trump — who had threatened to fire and replace him with Clark — because the DOJ had found no evidence of significant fraud. Clark's attorney, Harry MacDougald, told the judge the letter was merely "a proposal."

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-co-defendant-jeffrey-clark-seeks-move-georgia-election-case-fede-rcna105555