DoJ Official: I Had No Obligation to Disclose an Expunged Arrest

In a written questionnaire from Republican Sen. Tom Cotton for the record before her Senate confirmation, Clarke answered “no” to a question asking whether, “since becoming a legal adult, have you ever been arrested for or accused of committing a violent crime against any person?”

Clarke acknowledged that she was arrested in her statement on Wednesday but said the arrest was expunged – meaning it was removed from her record and no longer exists – and that she wasn’t required to disclose it.

“When given the option to speak about such traumatic incidents in my life, I have chosen not to,” Clarke wrote. “I didn’t believe during my confirmation process and I don’t believe now that I was obligated to share a fully expunged matter from my past.”