Federal investigators went to the home of Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department official, on Wednesday in connection with the department’s extensive investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election, according to people familiar with the matter.
It was unclear what the researchers were looking for, but Mr. Clark was instrumental in President Donald J. Trump’s unsuccessful effort in late 2020 to bolster the nation’s top prosecutors because they support his allegations of election fraud.
Police action at Mr. Clark’s home in the suburbs of Virginia occurred just a day before the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack was ready to hold a hearing to examine the efforts of Mr. Trump to pressure the Justice Department after his election defeat.
The audience was expected to explore the role of Mr. Clark to help Mr. Trump will double the department at will and will ultimately help persuade officials from several key states to change the outcome of his election results.
Mr. Trump considered and then abandoned a plan just days before the Jan. 6 attack to put Mr. Clark at the head of the Department of Justice as acting Attorney General. At that time, Mr. Clark proposed sending a letter to Georgia state officials falsely stating that the department had evidence that could lead Georgia to rescind its certification of Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory. in this key state of change.
The search of Mr. Clark also occurred when a grand federal jury continued to issue subpoenas to at least eight people from four different states who were involved in a Mr. Trump and his allies to subvert the normal functioning of the electoral process by creating fake pro-Trump voter cards in states that were actually won by Mr. Biden.
Mr. Clark did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Mr. Clark, who once served as acting head of the Civil Division of the Department of Justice, helped in late December 2020 draft a letter to Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia stating, without evidence, that the Justice Department had identified “major concerns” about the “election result” in Georgia and many other states. The letter advised Mr. Kemp, a Republican, to convene a special session of his state legislature to create “a separate list of voters who support Donald J. Trump.”
Mr. Clark pressured the then Attorney General, Jeffrey A. Rosen, to sign and send the letter to Mr. Kemp, but Mr. Rosen refused. Mr. Rosen is scheduled to testify before the House committee at his hearing Thursday.
Katie Benner contributed to the report.