Whitaker ‘Did Not Deny’ Discussing Cohen Case With Trump, a Top Democrat Says

WASHINGTON — The former acting attorney general Matthew G. Whitaker “did not deny” in a private meeting with House lawmakers on Wednesday that he had spoken to President Trump about an investigation in New York that had ensnared the president and his business, the Democratic chairman of the House Judiciary Committee said.

Speaking after the meeting, the chairman, Representative Jerrold Nadler of New York, presented Mr. Whitaker’s comments as being at odds with his public testimony last month before the Judiciary Committee. In that hearing, Mr. Whitaker generally would not say if he had communicated with the president about the case, which led to charges against Michael D. Cohen, Mr. Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer.

Mr. Whitaker at the time denied a CNN report that Mr. Trump had yelled at him about the case after Mr. Cohen pleaded guilty to federal campaign finance charges that implicated Mr. Trump. A report by The New York Times after the February hearing recounted another call between the two men about the case in which Mr. Trump asked about the possibility of putting the United States attorney whom the president had appointed in charge of it.

View the complete March 13 article by Nicholas Fandos on The New York Times website here.

A Memo and a Recusal Decision Underscore Potential Threats to the Mueller Inquiry

Credit: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

WASHINGTON — Matthew G. Whitaker, who was installed last month as acting attorney general by President Trump, has cleared himself to supervise the special counsel’s investigation, rejecting the recommendation of career Justice Department ethics specialists that he recuse himself, according to a letter the department sent to Senate leaders on Thursday night.

[Read the letter.]

The development came soon after the disclosure that the president’s nominee for attorney general, William P. Barr, had written a memo this spring in which he strongly criticized one of the main lines of inquiry by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III — whether Mr. Trump had committed obstruction of justice. Disclosure of the memo raised questions about whether Mr. Barr would order Mr. Mueller to shut down that component of the inquiry if the Senate confirmed him.

Together, the developments underscored the potential threats to Mr. Mueller’s ability to complete his work without interference at a time when his inquiry appears to be drawing closer to the White House and the president’s most trusted associates.

View the complete December 20 article by Charlie Savage and Katie Benner on The New York Times website here.

Trump Blasts ‘Little Adam Schitt’ After He Questions Whitaker Appointment

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., will assume the chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee in the new Congress, and will relaunch its Russia investigation. Credit: Bill Clark, CQ Roll Call file photo

Incoming House Intelligence Committee chairman promises to revive its Russia investigation

President Donald Trump bestowed a juvenile nickname on Rep. Adam Schiff on Sunday, but the congressman responded with a barb of his own.

The president and the incoming House Intelligence Committee chairman taunted each other on Twitter, a preview of the coming months, since the rivalry is sure to intensify when Schiff resurrects the committee’s Russia investigation after Democrats assume control of the House of Representatives in January.

Trump lashed out at Schiff in a tweet, dubbing him “little Adam Schitt (D-CA).” He also diverted criticism of his appointment of acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker by questioning the appointment of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.

View the complete November 19 article by Emily Kopp on The Roll Call website here.

Trump admits he was thinking about the Russia investigation when he appointed controversial acting AG

Credit: AP Photo, Susan Walsh

When asked his thoughts on the attorney general situation, Trump brought up Robert Mueller’s investigation totally unprompted.

When President Donald Trump fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions a day after the midterm elections and replaced him with former U.S. attorney and DOJ chief of staff Matthew Whitaker, there was an unspoken but obvious reason for his decision. It was telegraphed by Whitaker’s long history of opposing special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Trump’s ties to Russia, calling it a “witch hunt” and warning that any probe into the Trump family finances was a “red line.”

So it was remarkable when Trump, in a Thursday interview with the right-wing Daily Caller, came out and said it directly.

“Could you tell us where your thinking is currently on the attorney general position?” asked Daily Caller reporters Saagar Enjeti and Benny Johnson.

View the complete November 15 article by Matthew Chapman on the AlterNet.org website here.