Attempting to help President Donald Trump overcome his loss in the 2020 election, former assistant attorney general Jeffrey Bossert Clark had his home raided by American government officials on Wednesday, an incident he has compared to the Stasi.
Clark expressed his shock at the treatment he received during a search of his home by armed federal officers while standing outside in his pajamas during an appearance with Tucker Carlson on Fox News.
There was a lot of banging outside his door, he claimed. I realized there were agents there right away. I was told “no” when I politely requested to put on some pants.
They cleaned the home. It was searched for more than three hours by twelve agents and two police officers from Fairfax County.
A robotic canine sniffer also arrived. My home’s electronics were all taken out.
With all these Stasi-like events occurring, Clark stated, “I just think we’re living in an era that I don’t know and increasingly, Tucker, I don’t recognize the country anymore.”
Carlson answered, “Yeah, this is Stalinist.” It’s going to turn really ugly at some time when someone fights back. I hope that never happens, but I believe it probably will.
Between 1950 and 1990, the Stasi was one of the most despised and dreaded organizations under the communist rule of East Germany.
One of the key responsibilities of the Stasi was population surveillance, principally through a vast network of ordinary people who had become informants, and suppressing any opposition through overt and covert means.
Trump supporter and former Justice Department employee Clark described how federal officials searched his home for three and a half hours.
Russ Vought, an ally who oversaw the Office of Management and Budget in the Trump administration, claimed that Clark was forced to stand in the street wearing just his pajamas.
The raid took place as part of the department’s investigation into the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
On Wednesday, American law enforcement officers searched his Lorton, Virginia, residence. Lorton is a suburb of Washington.
A U.S. congressional panel looking into the deadly attack on January 6 was getting ready to hold its fifth session about Trump’s unsuccessful attempts to compel the Justice Department to help overturn his 2020 loss at the time of the search.
Trump’s strategy to hold onto power after losing the 2020 election would have included Clark as a key player.
Before the riots on January 6, Trump gave the idea of appointing Clark as acting attorney general some thought.
When can we declare that the Department of Justice, where you formerly served, is a political tool and has become totally unhinged? During the conversation on Thursday night, Carlson questioned.
Yes, I believe this to be extremely politicized, and if you didn’t know Tucker, it was also a part of a national effort yesterday, Clark said.
Several states saw multiple people being searched for their electronic gadgets at around the same time. Naturally, a great degree of coordination is needed for it.
The Justice Department allegedly had “serious concerns” about the legality of Biden’s victory in the state, according to a letter sent to Georgia lawmakers at one point under pressure from Clark. This letter echoed then-President Trump’s phony allegations of election fraud.
Emails from the January 6 committee already made public show how Clark suggested writing to Georgian officials stating falsely that the Department of Justice had proof of voter fraud that might overturn Joe Biden’s victory in the state.
In reality, there was no significant proof of massive voter fraud found when Biden won the state.
He encouraged Republican Governor Brian Kemp in a letter to convene a special session of the Georgia legislature to pick a different slate of electors who would support Donald Trump.
According to a deposition given by Richard Donoghue, deputy attorney general, and contained in a court document, Clark, a relatively junior officer, said to the president on January 3 at the White House, “History is calling.”
“This is our chance.” This can be accomplished.
In the end, despite predictions that hundreds of DOJ officials would resign if he did, Trump decided not to promote Clark.
During the program in which Clark appeared, Carlson omitted to highlight this information, stating instead, “What he did wrong was merely ask for an investigation into election fraud.”
Although Clark was summoned and made two appearances before the panel, his attorney later informed the panel that Clark planned to use his Fifth Amendment privilege against being forced to testify against himself.
The inspector general of the Justice Department is looking into Clark, and the D.C. Office of Disciplinary Counsel, which looks into lawyer misconduct, is looking into Clark’s actions ethically.
In the past, Clark held the positions of assistant attorney general for the department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and, for a brief while toward the end of Trump’s presidency, chief of the civil division.
On January 6, Trump implored his followers to help overcome his electoral loss in a ferocious address delivered in front of the White House.
Legislators and Vice President Mike Pence fled for their lives after they later attacked the Capitol.
Four people passed away, three from natural causes and one from a police shooting.
Since then, more than 800 people have been detained in relation to the violence.