Donald Trump

Trump Considered Naming New AG to Help Push Baseless Claims of Voter Fraud

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Saturday that the Justice Department inspector general "must launch an investigation into this attempted sedition now"

Former President Donald Trump
ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images

Then-President Donald Trump considered replacing acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen in January with Justice Department lawyer Jeffrey Clark, who was willing to help Trump push his claims of widespread voter fraud in order to overturn the election results, according to a Justice Department official.

Trump ultimately decided against firing Rosen out of fear that it would lead to mass resignations from Justice Department staff, which he worried could undermine his goal of staying in power.

Trump's unsuccessful efforts to use the Justice Department to stay in office were first reported by The New York Times and confirmed by NBC News.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on Twitter that the Justice Department inspector general "must launch an investigation into this attempted sedition now."

Trump and Clark had come up with a plan to get rid of Rosen, freeing them up to use the Justice Department's resources to pressure Georgia state lawmakers to overturn its presidential election results.

Trump became fixated on Georgia after the state was called for President Joe Biden by roughly 12,000 votes, making Trump the first Republican to lose the state in over 20 years. Georgia's election results alone would not have been enough Electoral College votes to make Trump the winner.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com

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