New Lackey Attorney General Planning To Help Trump Obstruct Justice
Matt Whitaker, the new acting attorney general of the United States, appears to have a curious lack of solid qualifications for the job. Normally when the Attorney General, such as Jeff Sessions , leaves, the role would fall to the Deputy Attorney General or the Solicitor General, which are positions where the occupant has been confirmed by the US Senate. Whitaker is just a guy who Trump found on television who was hustling for an administration position by punditing the opinion that Robert Mueller and his probe were over the line.
In other words, Whitaker is an unqualified lackey Trump has chosen to help him cover up his and/or his children's involvement in the Russian collusion and obstruction of justice cases.
There are reports today that Whitaker has told associates that he would not approve of a subpoena of President Trump by Mueller, and also that Whitaker has no intention of recusing himself from being Mueller's supervisor.
Why did Trump fire Jeff Sessions, and then replace him with an unremarkable flunky like Whitaker, if not in order to squash aspects of the Russia probe?
Obstruction in plain sight?
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Trump’s acting attorney general, Matt Whitaker, has no intention of recusing from Russia probe, associates say
Acting attorney general Matt Whitaker has no intention of recusing himself from overseeing the special-counsel probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to people close to him who added they do not believe he would approve any subpoena of President Trump as part of that investigation.
Since stepping into his new role Wednesday, Whitaker has faced questions — principally from Democrats — about whether he should recuse himself from the Russia investigation, given that he has written opinion pieces about the investigation and is a friend and political ally of a witness.
On Thursday, two people close to Whitaker said he has no intention of taking himself off the Russia case.
Ethics officials at the Justice Department are likely to review his past work to see whether he has any financial or personal conflicts. In many instances, the ethics office does not require a Justice Department official’s recusal but suggests a course of action. In the past, senior Justice Department officials have tended to follow such advice, but they are rarely required to do so, according to officials familiar with the process.
A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment. Officials there have said Whitaker will follow the regular procedure in handling any ethics issues that arise.
In 2014, Whitaker chaired the campaign of Sam Clovis, a Republican candidate for Iowa state treasurer. Clovis went on to work as a Trump campaign adviser and has become a witness in the investigation by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.
The Justice Department advises employees that “generally, an employee should seek advice from an ethics official before participating in any matter in which her impartiality could be questioned.” Regulations prohibit employees, “without written authorization, from participating in a criminal investigation or prosecution if he has a personal or political relationship with any person or organization substantially involved in the conduct that is the subject of the investigation or prosecution.”
Ethics officials might advise Whitaker that his commentary created the appearance of a conflict of interest and leave the decision to him. If they recommended forcefully that he recuse himself and he declined, Whitaker could then be referred to the Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility, and his license to practice law could be put at issue.
The two people close to Whitaker said they strongly believe he would not approve any request from Mueller to subpoena the president. Mueller and Trump’s attorneys have negotiated for months about a possible interview, with no agreement in sight.
Whitaker’s elevation to become the nation’s top law enforcement official followed the ouster Wednesday of Jeff Sessions as attorney general. Sessions had endured months of public abuse from Trump, who soured on Sessions because he recused himself from oversight of the Russia investigation shortly after he arrived at the Justice Department.
Sessions felt that Mueller’s investigation had gone on too long but also believed it was important that he stay on as attorney general as a means of protecting the special counsel’s work, so that when it was concluded, the public would have confidence it had not been manipulated, according to a person familiar with his thinking.
Even after he arrived at the Justice Department, Whitaker harbored frustration about the length of the special-counsel probe and doubts about the scope of Mueller’s authority, a person familiar with the matter said. He questioned Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein’s ability to give Mueller such wide latitude and wanted to explore the bounds of what Mueller was examining, though Rosenstein kept Sessions’s office “walled off” from the matter, this person said. Whitaker did, however, believe that Sessions had no choice but to recuse himself from the matter, the person said.
Wasn't there an article in the news a couple of weeks ago, that said Mueller pretty much has concluded his investigation? I suspect that it will be released in the next week or two, probably on a Friday. Looks like another "boy who cried wolf" article yet again.
Me thinks we may all be longing for Mr. Sessions in the not too distant future. Mr. Whitaker is essentially considered a bit of a crackpot, the devil we knew is preferable to the one we do not.
It may turn out that this appointment is deemed unconstitutional, but we shall see.