Jeffrey Clark. Photo: Susan Walsh-Pool/AFP via Getty Images
Federal investigators on Wednesday searched the home of former Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark, people familiar with the matter told multiple media outlets, including ABC News, the New York Times and CNN.
Driving the news: The law enforcement presence at Clark's Virginia home came a day before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot was set to hold a public hearing on former President Trump's efforts to pressure the Justice Department into falsely discrediting the results of the 2020 election.
Why it matters: Clark was the assistant attorney general who was supportive of Trump's efforts, and the former president sought to install Clark as acting attorney general after former Attorney General Bill Barr resigned.
- The Jan. 6 committee's upcoming hearing is expected to examine Clark's role in helping Trump put pressure on other Justice Department officials to scrutinize false allegations of voter fraud in swing states in an effort to overturn election results and overturn President Biden’s victory.
- Trump ultimately reconsidered appointing Clark, instead keeping Jeffrey Rosen as acting attorney general after Barr left.
What they're saying: Harry MacDougald, Clark's lawyer, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The big picture: It was unclear which federal agencies conducted the search and what the investigators may have been looking for, according to the Times and ABC, which first reported on the search.
- People familiar with the situation told the Times that the search was in connection with the Justice Department's investigation into efforts to overturn the election.
- Clark has repeatedly refused to cooperate with the Jan. 6 committee's investigative subpoenas, and the committee has recently recommended holding him in contempt of Congress.
Go deeper: Here's who's testifying at the fifth Jan. 6 committee hearing