The chair of a Washington, D.C., attorney ethics committee expressed deep concerns Thursday regarding former U.S. Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark’s persistent requests for postponements in the disciplinary proceedings against him. These concerns come as Clark continues to seek further delays, all while grappling with criminal charges in Georgia.
Clark’s DC Ethics Case : Chair’s Concerns
Merril Hirsh, who presides over a hearing committee of the D.C Court of Appeals’ Board on Professional Responsibility, didn’t mince words during a remote prehearing conference. He remarked, “that there is a serial request for delay” in Clark’s case. Addressing Clark’s attorney, Harry W. MacDougald of Caldwell Carlson Elliott & DeLoach, Hirsh acknowledged the forceful arguments presented but questioned how long it would take to reach the core issue. He said, “how many years are we going to go through before we get to the question of considering whether those arguments have merit?”
Charges and Developments
The D.C. Office of Disciplinary Counsel, aiming to disbar the former DOJ attorney, initiated charges of professional misconduct in July 2022, implicating Clark in former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
