Former Justice Department official Jeff Clark, who is ensnared in several of former President Donald Trump‘s legal affairs, evaded full disbarment in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.
Clark, a top DOJ official under Trump who was charged alongside him in the sweeping 2020 election subversion case in Georgia, was recommended for a two-year suspension from practicing law by the D.C. Bar’s Hearing Committee. Despite the possibility of a hefty sanction, it marks a small victory for Clark, who was threatened with complete disbarment for his actions following Trump’s electoral defeat in 2020.
Still, the panel concluded that Clark displayed “extraordinary recklessness” in his actions related to the 2020 presidential election. The disbarment complaint had accused him of making false statements about the 2020 election in a draft letter he asked the then-acting attorney general to send to officials in Georgia.
“Clark’s personal beliefs blinded him from objectively assessing the facts and the reality of his proposed course of action,” the panel wrote in its decision, adding that he “pushed for this letter to be sent even after President Trump himself said ‘no.'”
“Mr. Clark attempted dishonesty and did so with truly extraordinary recklessness,” the panel’s decision added.
Despite being warned that the letter contained false information and could lead to resignations and public unrest, Clark persisted with his concerns about the veracity of the election results, though he never actually sent the letter to Georgia election officials.
Clark has pleaded not guilty to his charges in Georgia, while Trump has maintained his innocence in both his state and federal election cases. Among the co-defendants in that case are attorneys John Eastman and Rudy Giuliani, who both have faced their own disciplinary proceedings for alleged malpractice concerning Trump’s defeat in 2020.
The panel said it rejected the full disbarment recommendation for Clark because, unlike Eastman and Giuliani, Clark’s conduct occurred while he was within the DOJ and never amounted to allegations of false testimony in federal court.
Clark’s legal team issued a scathing statement condemning the recommendations, saying the report issued by the D.C. Bar’s committee is “unlawful on many grounds and wrongly dives into confidential deliberations shielded by both presidential immunity and executive privilege.”
The former DOJ official is also listed as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the federal 2020 election subversion case against Trump, which is slated to return to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan’s jurisdiction on Friday after the Supreme Court ruled on July 1 that former presidents are entitled to some immunities for official acts taken while in office.
According to the recommendation, Clark could be suspended from practicing law for up to two years and be required to demonstrate his fitness to return to practice before being readmitted.
The recommendation is not yet a final order, and Clark’s legal team said it will “pursue multiple appeals to keep it that way.” Once objections are considered, the D.C. The Bar’s Board on Professional Responsibility will review the recommendation and may modify it.
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If Clark’s law license does get temporarily suspended, it could complicate any effort for him to rejoin the Trump administration immediately if the former president wins reelection.
The Washington Examiner contacted Clark for comment.
