Former President Trump pressured the Justice Department to pursue false allegations of election fraud, witnesses testified Thursday to the House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, Associated Press reports. Justice Department officials recounted Trump's repeatedly pestering them to investigate the election, which he said Democrat Joe Biden had stolen. These arguments continued despite no evidence of election fraud. The Justice Department is independent from the White House, and Trump’s constant badgering was described as a breach of protocol. Trump’s Republican allies in Congress supported stolen election claims but several sought pardons after the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Jeffrey Rosen, the attorney general during the final days of the Trump administration, said he met with Trump almost daily for two weeks. Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the Justice Department rejecting his election fraud claims. Trump then met Jeffrey Clark, the former assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division. Clark was a strong ally, willing to do anything for Trump. Trump considered replacing Rosen with Clark but was warned in a meeting on Jan. 3, 2021 that doing so would have resulted in mass resignations of high DOJ officials. The panel is working to prove that Trump’s election fraud claims resulted in the insurrection. Several GOP representatives were also involved in efforts to reject the electoral tally, includinb Reps. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Matt Gaetz of Florida and Louie Gohmert of Texas.