Feds search home of former DOJ official tied to Trump's efforts to overturn election
Federal agents searched the Virginia home of former Trump Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark on Wednesday morning, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the activity.
It was unclear which federal agencies conducted the search, but one neighbor who witnessed the law enforcement activity said they saw officials entering and exiting the Lorton, Virginia, home after arriving there early Wednesday. A spokesperson for the Fairfax County, Virginia, Police Department told ABC News that its officers assisted with law enforcement activity at the house, but deferred to the Justice Department for further comment.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C., said they "can confirm there was law enforcement activity in that area yesterday," but declined to comment on specific individuals or the nature of that activity.
A lawyer for Clark did not respond to a request for comment. But Russ Vought, a former Trump White House official and the president of the Center for Renewing America, where Clark is now a senior fellow, said in a statement that "more than a dozen DOJ law enforcement officials searched Jeff Clark's house in a pre-dawn raid, put him in the streets in his pajamas, and took his electronic devices."
"The new era of criminalizing politics is worsening in the U.S." Vought said. "This is not America, folks. The weaponization of government must end. Let me be very clear. We stand by Jeff and so must all patriots in this country."
Clark, a former assistant attorney general for the environment and natural resources, has emerged as a key player in Donald Trump's efforts to leverage the powers of the Justice Department to find widespread corruption in the 2020 electoral process after it became clear that Joe Biden had won.
On Thursday, the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack was expected to hear testimony from multiple former Justice Department officials with knowledge of Clark's proposal of a plan to pressure states to invalidate Biden's electoral victories after the 2020 election.
In one instance, emails obtained by ABC News in August 2021 showed how Justice Department officials rebuffed Clark's request to urge officials in Georgia to investigate and possibly overturn Biden's victory in the state.
An alleged plan to appoint Clark acting attorney general -- which would have empowered him to pursue baseless allegations of voter fraud -- prompted several Justice Department officials to threaten their resignation. Trump ultimately withdrew the plan.
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect that the eyewitness to Wednesday's activity was not certain what agency the officials were from.
