In Georgia, Judge Scott McAfee has rejected a motion from former Trump administration official Jeffrey Clark, who served in the Justice Department, seeking dismissal of the criminal allegations he is facing in a wide-ranging criminal case from Fani Willis. Willis, the district attorney in Fulton County, also charged Donald Trump himself in that case, which alleges a conspiracy against the results from the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, where Biden won.
Clark’s arguments contended that Willis lacked the appropriate jurisdictional power over the ex-official to actually bring the case, which McAfee flatly rejected. Clark has also previously failed in attempting to move the handling of the allegations against him to federal court, which could have set up a dismissal there should arguments have worked that he was merely perpetrating disputed conduct as part of his official responsibilities. Other defendants in the case tried and failed at the same arguments, a list including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and individuals who served in Georgia as sham electors for Trump, contradicting Biden’s actual win there.
Clark effectively tried to advance Trump’s attempts at staying in power from within the Justice Department, including by pushing a proposed letter to Georgia authorities that would have promoted the prospect of commencing a special state legislative session with an eye towards backing an alternate slate of electors for Trump. That letter, for which Clark was trying to get the support of top departmental officials, was never sent, and the sham elector efforts that did materialize mostly stayed within the realm of endeavors outside the legislature.
Clark has been named in news reports as a possibility for a future role in government should Trump regain the White House, which is obviously not entirely surprising, considering Trump even already considered making him the head of the Justice Department the first time around. If there’s one thing Trump values, it’s loyalty to the cause — including the cause of denying the 2020 election’s legitimate, documented results.
NEW: In Fulton County, Judge McAfee DENIES Jeffery Clark’s Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Personal Jurisdiction. pic.twitter.com/CIW2urDIQr
— Katie Phang (@KatiePhang) December 13, 2023
