THIN ICE FOR ACTING AG?
Whitaker facing scrutiny for statements on Russia probe
Whitaker facing scrutiny for previous statements. Page
WASHINGTON — Matthew Whitaker’s future at the helm of the Justice Department appeared uncertain Friday as President Donald Trump denied even knowing the man he had named acting attorney general just two days earlier. The Senate’s top Republican predicted a permanent replacement could be named soon for Mr. Whitaker, who is now overseeing the Trump-Russia probe.
The comments from Mr. Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell came as Mr. Whitaker’s past business ties and remarks on special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation and other topics were drawing scrutiny from Democrats and ethics groups.
Speaking to reporters Friday, Mr. Trump said, “I don’t know Matt Whitaker.” That contradicted Mr. Trump’s remarks on Fox News last month, when he called Mr. Whitaker “a great guy” and said, “I mean, I know Matt Whitaker.”
Mr. McConnell, meanwhile, said, “I think this will be a very interim AG.” Another Republican senator, Susan Collins of Maine, said shewas concerned by some of Mr. Whitaker’s past comments and called for legislation that would place limits on his ability to fire Mr. Mueller.
That would include specifying that only a Senate-confirmed
Justice
Department official — which Mr. Whitakeris not— could dismiss Mr. Mueller.
Mr. Whitaker, chief of staff to just-ousted Attorney General Jeff Sessions, was elevated Wednesday after his boss was forced out by Mr. Trump. The new position handed him oversight of Mr. Mueller’s investigation into possible ties between Russia and Mr. Trump’s 2016 presidentialcampaign.
Since Wednesday, Mr. Whitaker has faced pressure from Democrats to recuse himself from overseeing Mr. Mueller based on critical comments he made about the investigation before joining the Justice Department last year.
There have also been reports about past comments questioning the power and reach of the federal judiciary, about his ties to an invention-promotion company that was accused of misleading investors.
Despite Mr. Trump’s current distancing himself from Mr. Whitaker, two Republicans close to the president said he had enjoyed Mr. Whitaker’s TV appearances and the two had struck a bond. Those appearances included one on CNN in which Mr. Whitaker suggested that the Mueller probe could be starved of resources.
On Friday, Mr. Trump said he had not spoken with Mr. Whitaker about Mr. Mueller’s investigation, which until now has been overseen by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Mr. Rosenstein told reporters Friday that based on his experiences with Mr. Whitaker, “I think he’s a superb choice for attorney general.”