In one Dec. 27 conversation, according to the written account, acting AG Jeffrey Rosen told Trump that the Justice Department “can’t + won’t snap its fingers + change the outcome of the election.”
Trump replied that he understood but wanted the agency to “just say the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen,” according to the notes written by Donoghue, a participant in the discussion.
Rosen's recalcitrance led Trump to Jeffrey Clark, a Justice Department Lawyer specializing in gutting environmental regulations. Clark let it be known that he was in sympathy with Trump's position. He drafted a letter that he would sign upon being appointed acting AG.
Associate Deputy AG Patrick Hovakimian heard about the existence of the letter. He drafted the following, to be sent in the event that Rosen was fired:The draft December 28 letter, published by ABC News, urged top Georgia officials to convene the state legislature in a special session to evaluate supposed "irregularities" in the 2020 election.
The letter said, falsely, that Justice Department had identified "significant concerns that may have impacted of the outcome of the election in multiple States, including the State of Georgia."
According to internal Justice Department emails also obtained by ABC News, the letter was circulated by Jeffrey Clark, a top department official who was working with the then-President to get the department more directly involved in the Trump election reversal crusade. Clark was acting attorney general of the civil division at the time.
He sent the draft letter, according to the emails, to acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue. Though the letter was directed to Georgia, Clark's email indicated that he wanted to send similar versions to "each relevant state."
This evening, after Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen over the course of the last week repeatedly refused the President’s direct instructions to utilize the Department of Justice’s law enforcement powers for improper ends, the President removed Jeff from the Department.
PADAG Rich Donoghue and I resign from the Department, effective immediately.
Hovakimian’s note went on to say, “The decision of whether and when to resign and whether the ends of justice are best served by resigning is a highly individual question, informed by personal and family circumstances.”
The message to be sent to other DOJ staff added, “Jeff asked me to pass on to each of you that whatever your own decision, he knows you will adhere always to the highest standards of justice and act always – and only – in the interests of the United States.”[/quote]
I have not found a text only version of Jeffrey Clark's letter. If someone does, please feel free to post it. But the outlines of the Trump Coup are clear:
- Declare the election "corrupt" without providing facts.
- Throw the election to the Republican legislatures in "each relevant state."
Fortunately, we got an alternate ending. There were rumblings of mass resignations in the Justice Department if Rosen was fired for refusing to sign the letter. Whatever the reason, Trump elected not to appoint Jeffrey Clark.
Imagine what would have happened if Trump had appointed Clark before January 6th, and his letter had been sent to the Republican legislatures in Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, et al.
Imagine what the crowd in the Capitol would have looked January 6th if the Justice Department had declared the election "invalid".
