The committee has so far interviewed more than 150 witnesses so far, according to two people familiar with the interviews who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss them. President Joe Biden has so far waived executive privilege on nearly all the documents that the committee has asked for, citing the panel's need to investigate the violent attack.Īmid the legal wrangling, the House panel has struggled to gain cooperation from some of Trump's other top allies - including his longtime associate Steve Bannon and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows - as it conducts a sweeping investigation outside of public view. The suit aims to block the government from releasing a tranche of internal White House documents, including call logs, drafts of remarks, speeches and handwritten staff notes from before and during the insurrection. 'It's astounding that someone who so recently held a position of public trust to uphold the Constitution would now hide behind vague claims of privilege by a former President, refuse to answer questions about an attack on our democracy, and continue an assault on the rule of law,' Thompson said.Ĭlark's refusal is just the latest fallout from Trump's attempt to assert executive privilege in a lawsuit he filed against the committee and the National Archives. He said he had rejected the claims of privilege and said Clark 'has a very short time' to reconsider and cooperate. Bennie Thompson, the committee's chairman, confirmed that Clark refused to answer questions and said it was unacceptable. Jeffrey Clark, who championed Trump's efforts to overturn the election, presented the committee with a letter saying he would not answer questions based on Trump's assertions of executive privilege, including in an ongoing court case, according to a person familiar with the closed-door meeting who was granted anonymity to discuss it.Ĭlark left the interview with his lawyer, who told reporters that they were heading 'home.'Ĭlark, who was subpoenaed by the committee to appear, would not answer any questions from reporters as he departed. 6 Capitol insurrection, ending a deposition after around 90 minutes Friday. A former assistant attorney general who aligned himself with former President Donald Trump after he lost the 2020 election has declined to be fully interviewed by a House committee investigating the Jan.

Fallout hole in the wall