(CNN)Two top former Justice Department officials sat for interviews with the Senate Judiciary Committee, providing detailed accounts of a tumultuous period in late December and early January during which a senior Justice Department lawyer sought to deploy the department's resources in support of false voting fraud claims by former President Donald Trump, according to a source familiar.
Richard Donoghue, the acting Deputy Attorney General at the time, and Jeffrey Rosen, the acting Attorney General at the time, put Jeffrey Clark, a Donald Trump-appointed environment law chief at the Justice Department, at the center of an extraordinary effort to help Trump undermine the election results, including by ousting his bosses who were resisting Trump, according to the source.
How a Trump environmental lawyer tried to weaponize the Justice Department to help the President
Rosen spoke of numerous interactions with Clark, but much of the focus of his testimony was on five episodes where Clark went out of the chain of command to push the fraud claims. That included the January 3 White House meeting where Trump had the two men vie for the attorney general's job before deciding not to replace Rosen with Clark.
Clark's attorney declined to comment to CNN.
Donoghue met with the committee for about five hours Friday while Rosen met with them for more than six hours on Saturday, the source said, adding that Rosen also sat with the Justice Department Inspector General's investigators Friday.
Read More
The New York Times was the first to report details of Rosen's meeting with the Justice Department's inspector general..
Three senators, Democrats Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, plus Republican Thom Tillis of North Carolina, sat for the entire Saturday session, the source said. Nine senators in total attended parts of the Rosen interview, and the questions were bipartisan.
The full picture of Trump's attempted coup is only starting to emerge
Blumenthal said he "was struck by how close the country came to total catastrophe" after listening to the entire closed-door testimony of Rosen Saturday.
"There were some very relevant and important facts. And equally important, some good leads about where the investigation can go," Blumenthal told CNN's Manu Raju.
Both Rosen and Donoghue told the investigators that they don't know whether Clark was acting at Trump's behest or orchestrating a plot he concocted himself. The men testified that in their interactions with Trump, he didn't order them to do anything illegal and eventually accepted their advice that the Justice Department couldn't take actions to claim fraud when it had no evidence of it.
Mysteries remain about with whom Clark interacted. In testimony to the Senate, Clark's bosses spoke of Clark's discussions of interactions with Trump ally Rep. Scott Perry who he referred to as "General Perry." Perry helped Clark connect with Trump, Perry has said.
CNN's Katelyn Polantz and Manu Raju contributed to this report.
Paid Content
Diabetics: Here's How To Lower Blood Sugar (It's Genius!) Diabetes Freedom
Hong Kong - Latest news and coverage CNA
Recommended 1/5
Justice Department IG couldn't find evidence of FBI Clinton probe leaks to Giuliani
Analysis: You shouldn't miss this massive bombshell in Trump's ongoing election fraud lie
COVID-19 - Latest news and coverage
New York Times: Trump 2020 campaign refunds millions to donors after using aggressive fundraising tactic
Doctors Baffled: Simple Tip Relieves Years of Joint Pain and Arthritis (Try Tonight)
Justice Department IG couldn't find evidence of FBI Clinton probe leaks to Giuliani
Analysis: You shouldn't miss this massive bombshell in Trump's ongoing election fraud lie
Analysis: You shouldn't miss this massive bombshell in Trump's
ongoing election fraud lie
Read More
This is a big loss for Sylvester Stallone. Mansion Global
以下是 2021 年眼袋手术的价格。 去眼袋手术 | 搜寻广告
平价隐形牙套，就算係学生都负担得起！ Zenyum
Moneymorningpaper The 10 Richest Families Of The World
dailyskinharmony.com How To Reduce Wrinkles and Fine Lines (Try This Tonight)
Health Today Doctor Baffled: Simple Tip Relieves Years of Joint Pain (Try…
Senior Living | Sponsored Listings Retirement Villages Near Central Might Have Seniors Packing…
healths.cafe These New Knee Sleeves leave Doctors Baffled in Hong Kong
这个新可携式冷气可能是2021年最天才的发明 FlakeAir 菲利克空调
The cost of storage units in Hong Kong might surprise you Storage units | Sponsored links
Paid Content
Plastic Surgeon Reveals The 1 Thing Every Woman Should Be Using… Skin Care Guru Doctors Baffled: Simple Tip Relieves Years of Joint Pain and… iamhealth.cc Former Vice President Mike Pence Buys $1.93 Million Mansion in… Mansion Global 1970年前出生的香港居民现可免费试戴顶尖的欧洲助听器 Hearmore.asia
More from CNN
Japanese gold medalists face Chinese nationalist wrath Simone Biles doesn't need more medals. She returned to the… Analysis: You shouldn't miss this massive bombshell in Trump's… 'I am furious with myself': Unvaccinated Covid patient describes…
Recommended by