Who is Jeffrey Clark? Ex-DOJ official emerged as central player in Trump's election scheme

Washington — During its investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, the House select committee focused on former President Donald Trump's attempt to use the Justice Department as an element of his multi-part plan to prevent the transfer of presidential power.

Crucial to that effort was a little-known Justice Department lawyer named Jeffrey Clark, who Trump wanted to install as acting attorney general before the threat of mass resignations led him to back down, the select committee found during its investigation.

Now, with the panel voting Monday to refer Trump and "others" to the Justice Department for possible prosecution over their conduct surrounding Jan. 6 and the effort to overturn the election outcome, Clark is back in the spotlight again.