WASHINGTON — Donald Trump has suggested the Justice Department publicly claim that “the election was corrupt,” even as its top officials tried in vain to convince him that allegations of widespread voter fraud were false, according to recently released documents about conversations between the former president and the agency’s management.
“Just say that the corrupt election leaves the rest to me and R. members of Congress,” Trump said in a December phone call with former acting attorney general Jeff Rosen, according to handwritten notes from the conversation.
The disclosures provide more insight into how Trump tried to use the country’s top law enforcement firm to claim he was robbed of the last election, even though the Justice Department uncovered no evidence of widespread fraud that would have replaced the results. written through Rosen’s deputy, they were released Friday through the House Oversight and Reform Committee, which is investigating Trump’s efforts to cancel President Joe Biden’s victory.
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In the Dec. 27 phone call, Trump suggested Rosen take action, saying “people are angry” and accusing the Justice Department of failing to respond to valid allegations of voter fraud.
“You may not continue like me,” Trump said, according to notes from acting former Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue.
Rosen retaliated and told Trump that the branch had conducted “dozens” of investigations and “hundreds of interviews,” but that it uncovered no evidence of the claims.
“We’re doing our job. A lot of what you get is fake,” Rosen said.
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In the same phone call, Trump raised the option of replacing Rosen with Jeff Clark, the former head of the Justice Department’s civil division, who sympathizes with his allegations of voter fraud.
“People tell me Jeff Clark is great, I put it on,” Trump said. “People need me to update the leadership of the D. O. J. “
Rosen, Donoghue and Clark were among the former Trump administration officials who will be called to testify before Congress as part of lawmakers’ investigation into Trump’s attempt to use the Decomposer of Justice to corrupt the effects of the election in the weeks leading up to Jan. 6. of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol that day, interrupting a congressional consultation to certify the effects of the election.
Earlier this week, the Justice Department informed witnesses it would claim executive privileges, allowing them to provide “unrestricted testimony” to congressional committees about their conversations with the former president.
“These handwritten notes show that President Trump directly asked our country’s leading law enforcement firm to take steps to cancel a free and fair election in the final days of his presidency,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, DN. Y. , Speaker of House Oversight. “The Committee has begun scheduling interviews with key witnesses to investigate the full extent of the former president’s corruption, and I will use all the equipment at my disposal so that all testimony is secured without delay. “
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A Spokeswoman for Trump did not respond to a request for comment.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. , chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Friday he would look for Rosen’s notes in his conversations with Trump, as the committee is conducting a parallel investigation into Trump’s actions.
Contribute: Bart Jansen