New boss at Justice a big conservative

The acting attorney general is a GOP insider and former U.S. attorney from Iowa who made two failed bids for public office and has openly criticized special counsel Robert Mueller.

Matthew Whitaker, who spent the past year as ousted attorney general Jeff Sessions' chief of staff, was named as his boss' temporary replacement Wednesday by President Trump.

The 49-year-old has Justice Department experience, having served as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Iowa from 2004-2009 after being appointed by former President George W. Bush. However, the majority of his career has been spent in private practice, including at a Des Moines law firm he founded with other Republican Party activists in 2009.

Whitaker, an Iowa native, also made two failed bids for state office, running once for state treasurer and then for U.S. Senate. During his bid for a Senate seat, Whitaker listed ultraconservative Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) as inspirations, according to The Des Moines Register.

Before working for Sessions, Whitaker was the executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, a conservative watchdog group that often hounds Hillary Clinton and other Democrats over allegations of ethical violations.

In recent years, Whitaker spent time as a talking head on CNN — often blasting Mueller over reports that the special counsel was eyeing Trump's finances.

He also offered an eerily prescient take on what could happen if Trump decided to replace Sessions.

“So I could see a scenario where Jeff Sessions is replaced with a recess appointment and that attorney general doesn't fire Bob Mueller, but he just reduces his budget to so low that his