The Trump lawyer who wanted to use the military against Americans just faced his biggest nightmare

Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department official who played a key role in Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, should be stripped of his law license, according to a Washington disciplinary panel ruling on Thursday. The D.C. Board of Professional Responsibility concluded that Clark should be disbarred for his actions following Trump’s election defeat.

Clark’s involvement in Trump’s post-election activities made him a central figure in attempts to challenge the legitimate results. After Trump’s 2020 defeat, the then-president considered firing acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and replacing him with Clark, a relatively low-profile environmental lawyer within the administration. Clark was willing to tell Trump what he wanted to hear about keeping him in power despite his electoral loss.

According to MSNBC, the Trump lawyer who wanted to use the military against Americans emerged during a high-level White House meeting where officials discussed the potential consequences of Trump remaining in office illegitimately. 

When a White House lawyer warned that there would be riots nationwide if Trump stayed in power despite his defeat, Clark allegedly responded, “Well … that’s why there’s an Insurrection Act.” This suggested Clark believed the military could be deployed against American civilians protesting an illegitimate power grab.

Clark’s post-election role and current government position

Clark sketched out a plan for Republican legislators to follow as part of the partisan plot while quietly pressing Trump to put him in charge of the Justice Department. The scheme ultimately failed when the Justice Department’s senior leadership team threatened to resign en masse if Rosen was removed from his position. Trump backed away from the plan not because it was problematic, but because of the threatened mass resignations.

Rather than fading into obscurity after these events, Clark became a rising legal star in Republican circles, following a pattern where Trump associates often face increased scrutiny, as evidenced by the recent resurfacing of Trump’s own cozy messages with Jeffrey Epstein. He remained active even after his indictment in Fulton County, Georgia, and appeared alongside Trump at a fundraiser for January 6 criminal defendants. Clark also became directly involved in the Project 2025 initiative and attended a Mar-a-Lago screening of a movie about the alleged persecution of January 6 rioters.

Following Trump’s return to power, Clark has returned to the executive branch as the acting head of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, part of the Office of Management and Budget responsible for reviewing executive branch regulations. The disbarment recommendation from the D.C. Board of Professional Responsibility will now go to the D.C. Court of Appeals for a final decision. 

Clark is not alone in facing professional consequences, as other Trump-associated lawyers, including Rudy Giuliani, who is now so financially ruined he claims he can’t pay his bills or buy food, John Eastman, Jenna Ellis, and Kenneth Chesebro have all faced similar disciplinary actions or lost their law licenses. Clark responded to the latest developments with a social media message stating, “The fight continues.”