GOP lawmaker part of Trump's plan to oust AG -NYT

PENNSYLVANIA REP. SCOTT PERRY ON JANUARY 06, 2021: "I object to the electoral votes of my beloved Commonwealth of Pennsylvania..."

Republican congressman Scott Perry, who objected to the counting of Pennsylvania’s electoral votes on Jan. 6 in a failed bid to cancel his state's results, played a role in ex-President Donald Trump's efforts to oust the Justice Department's top official and replace him with a loyalist willing to support the effort to overturn his election defeat.

That's according to a report from the New York Times on Sunday that said Perry arranged for Trump to meet Jeffrey Clark, a Justice Department official originally from Philadelphia who Trump considered naming to replace Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen earlier this month.

The Times reported that Clark, the acting assistant attorney general for the department's civil division, was sympathetic to Trump's "Stop the Steal" campaign, and he met with Perry to discuss a plan to have the Justice Department send Georgia a letter disclosing the department would be investigating the election results.

Reuters has not independently verified the details of the New York Times report, which cited several anonymous former officials. Neither Perry nor Clark could immediately be reached for comment.

In a statement to the New York Times, Clark declined comment on his relationship with Perry, and denied trying to oust Rosen, saying he had only participated in "a candid discussion of options and pros and cons with the president."

On Saturday, the Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee said the panel was launching a congressional probe into Trump and Clark's actions, and asked for the department to turn over documents and communications to help assist their inquiry.

PERRY ON JANUARY 06, 2021: "I have a written objection signed by a senator..."

On the evening of Jan. 6, Perry joined with Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri to object to Pennsylvania's votes, after lawmakers were forced to evacuate both chambers of Congress for several hours to escape a violent mob that had breached the Capitol.

The Senate later voted overwhelmingly to reject that effort in the early hours of the next morning, and President Joe Biden's election victory was ultimately certified.