Lawyers from the Justice Department were told to claim the election was “corrupt” by Donald Trump, an inquiry has been told.
During a congressional inquiry meeting, officials revealed they told the former President there was zero evidence of his claim that there had been mass voter fraud in the 2020 election.
The three officials also testified that Mr Trump had been warned the plan was equivalent to a “muder-suicide pact” by former White Hosue counsel, Pat Cipollone.
During the session, Republican Adam Kinzinger asked former acting deputy attorney general Richard Donoghue on his communication with the former president.
He referenced one note where there President says: “Just say the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the Republican congressmen.”
In response, Mr Donogue said: “That’s an exact quote from the president. Yes.”
The former Justice Department official added Mr Trump had planned to install loyalist Jeffrey Clark as head of the department as part of his efforts to overturn the result.
On official-headed paper Mr Clarke advised lawmakers in states where Mr Trump narrowly lost to throw out their results, the inquiry was told.
The former deputy attorney general said: “I thought it was useful to point out to the president that Jeff Clark simply didn’t have the skills, the ability and the experience to run the department.”
He added: “It’s impossible. It’s absurd, it’s not going to happen and it’s going to fail.”
Former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen told the inquiry the former President had reached out before the January 6, Capitol Hill riot.
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According to Mr Rosen, the former President asked the Justice Department to issue a statement questioning the election result.
He refused and told the President that: “We did not think they were appropriate based on the facts or the law.”
The inquiry is investigating the Capitol riot last year and has heard from security personnel who served that day.
Mr Trump has called the inquiry a “kangaroo court” being used to distract from issues, such as high inflation which have impacted Americans under Joe Biden.
Two more hearings are expected to take place next month before the Committe prepares a report on the riot.
