Former Attorneys General support DOJ lawsuit against D.C. Bar

Former U.S. Attorneys General Bill Barr, Jeff Sessions, and Michael Mukasey have filed an amicus brief supporting the Department of Justice in its lawsuit against the D.C. Bar. The legal action targets D.C. Disciplinary Counsel Hamilton Fox III and related entities regarding proceedings to strip Jeff Clark of his law license.

The disciplinary action against Clark, a former Assistant Attorney General, stems from legal advice he provided to President Trump regarding the 2020 election. The former attorneys general characterized the Bar’s efforts as a “disciplinary jihad” and “barfare,” arguing that the campaign threatens to create a “chilling pall” over how Department lawyers perform their duties.

In their filing, the former officials stated that even if Clark is cleared of all allegations, the proceedings damage his career and interfere with the DOJ’s internal operations. They argued that disciplinary authorities should not punish federal officials for sharing opinions or disagreeing with superiors during confidential internal deliberations.