Acting U.S. attorney general snaps at Democrats over Russia probe

Acting U.S. attorney general snaps at Democrats over Russia probe

by Joseph Anthony
111 views
Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker testifies before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight of the Justice Department on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 8, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker snapped back on Friday at newly emboldened Democrats in Congress who are pushing for information on the special counselโ€™s Russia probe as they try to put President Donald Trumpโ€™s administration under greater scrutiny.


In a combative congressional hearing, Whitaker said he had not talked to Trump about the probe into whether Moscow tried to tip the 2016 presidential election, or โ€œinterfered in any wayโ€ in the investigation since taking his role in November.

Democrats, who took over the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee after last yearโ€™s midterm elections, accused Whitaker of being evasive in front of the panel and frequently clashed with him.

The hearing room erupted in gasps when Whitaker pushed back strongly against a question from Chairman Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat, about whether he had ever been asked to approve any action requested by Mueller.

โ€œMr. Chairman, I see that your five minutes is up,โ€ Whitaker said, in a bold challenge to the head of the committee. โ€œI am here voluntarily. We have agreed to five-minute rounds,โ€ he added.

โ€œAnswer the question please,โ€ Nadler replied.


โ€œHow the heck did you become the head of the Department of Justice?โ€ Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries later railed at Whitaker.

โ€˜NOT JOKINGโ€™

Trumpโ€™s naming of Whitaker as acting attorney general caused controversy in part because it meant that the presidentโ€™s appointee oversees the probe by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into whether Moscow meddled in the election and colluded with Trumpโ€™s campaign.

Whitaker had publicly criticized the investigation before joining the Justice Department in 2017 but said on Friday he had not discussed it with Trump.

โ€œI have not talked to the president of the United States about the special counselโ€™s investigation,โ€ Whitaker said.


Democrats repeatedly accused Whitaker of running out the clock by giving them evasive or rambling answers in the hearing.

In one case, he refused to answer Democratic congresswoman Sheila Jackson Leeโ€™s questions with a yes or no, and made a flippant remark about whether the time she had lost on the clock had been restored before he answered her questions.

โ€œMr. Attorney General, we are not joking here and your humor is not acceptable,โ€ she said.

Whitaker testified he had never spoken with members of Trumpโ€™s inner circle about his views on the probe as a private citizen before he joined the Justice Department.

Trump has repeatedly said there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia and has called Muellerโ€™s investigation a witch hunt.


Political drama erupted on Thursday when Democrats threatened to serve Whitaker a subpoena if he failed to answer certain questions at the hearing.

Nadler later agreed to drop the threat, after Whitaker said he would back out from testifying if the subpoena was served.

During the hearing on Friday, Nadler threatened to force Whitaker to go back in front of the committee for a deposition.

Congressman Doug Collins, the top Republican on the committee, accused Democrats of staging political drama.

โ€œBring your popcorn,โ€ he said. Collins repeatedly tried to cut Democrats off from asking questions unrelated to Whitakerโ€™s current role at the department.


Justice Department ethics officials had recommended Whitaker recuse himself from overseeing the Russia investigation, a step he chose not to take.

โ€œWhen career officials at the department recommended that you take steps to mitigate your apparent conflicts of interest, โ€ฆ you ignored them,โ€ Nadler said.

Whitaker defended his decision.

โ€œI had no conflict of interest,โ€ he insisted.

โ€œUltimately, the decision whether or not to recuse was my decision.โ€


When pressed on whether he trusted Mueller, he told lawmakers he has respect for the former FBI Director.

โ€œI have been on the record about my respect for Bob Mueller,โ€ Whitaker said. โ€œI have no reason to believe he is not honest.โ€

Whitaker also denied media reports that Trump lashed out at him after learning his former lawyer and personal fixer Michael Cohen was pleading guilty for lying to Congress about a proposed Trump Tower in Moscow.

Friday was likely the first and last time that Whitaker will testify as acting attorney general.

Trumpโ€™s nominee for attorney general, William Barr, is expected to face a Senate confirmation vote next week.

You may also like

Leave a Comment

Chijos News is an independent online publication that provides readers with the latest breaking Nigerian news, world news, entertainment, sports, business, and many more.

@2024 – Chijosnews.com. All Rights Reserved.

-
00:00
00:00
Update Required Flash plugin
-
00:00
00:00