(RepublicanJournal.org) – In January of 2021, before he took office, Joe Biden nominated Kristen Clarke to head the Justice Department’s civil rights division. She was confirmed by the Senate in May of that year. However, there are calls for her to step down now after it came to light that she reportedly lied during her confirmation hearing.
During the confirmation process, Clarke was asked if she had “ever been arrested for or accused of committing a violent crime against any person,” to which she answered “no.” However, on Wednesday, May 1, she admitted that she had been arrested in 2006, after enduring a years-long domestic abuse situation, but hadn’t disclosed it since it had been expunged from her record.
Clarke’s confession comes after The Daily Signal published an exclusive, detailing how court documents, text messages, and records showed that she was arrested for having sliced her husband’s finger to the bone during an altercation on July 4, 2006, after he revealed he was cheating on her.
Prosecutors initiated a criminal case against Clarke in Prince George’s County, but just three months later, the charges against her were dismissed. Then, in January 2008, she filed an order for expungement, which was granted.
It’s not clear whether Clarke was legally obligated to disclose the arrest during the confirmation process, considering her expungement. Maryland law says it may not be required. However, that raises the ethical issue of whether or not it was a lie by omission.
In an exclusive statement to CNN, Clarke said she was a victim of domestic violence with her former husband, whom she finalized her divorce from in 2009. “When given the option to speak about such traumatic incidents in my life, I have chosen not to,” she said. Clarke also said she believes she wasn’t “obligated to share a fully expunged matter from [her] past.”
Some are calling for her termination or resignation, but she maintains she is committed to doing her job.
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