The Department of Justice issued a fairly nebulous statement as to whether or not Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker would recuse himself from overseeing the Mueller probe given both his past remarks indicating his opposition to it and his connection to Sam Clovis, a Trump campaign advisor and investigation witness.
“Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker is fully committed to following all appropriate processes and procedures at the Department of Justice, including consulting with senior ethics officials on his oversight responsibilities and matters that may warrant recusal,” Kerri Kupec, a department spokeswoman, said in a statement on Monday night.
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Democrats have sharply criticized Whitaker over his numerous past statements questioning Mueller’s investigation, including suggestions that a possible Sessions replacement could slash the special counsel’s budget so low that any further efforts would cease. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway stressed on “Fox News Sunday” that Whitaker had made the comments as “a private citizen” before joining the administration and when the investigation was just beginning.
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Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), who is expected to lead the powerful House Judiciary Committee when Democrats take charge of the chamber in January, said on Monday in response to Whitaker’s statement that he doubted that the acting attorney general would surrender supervisory duties over Mueller.
“He’s obviously not going to recuse himself. He should recuse himself because he’s prejudged the issue,” Nadler said in an interview on CNN, adding that the Judiciary Committee’s first order of business in the new year would be to call Whitaker to testify before the panel.
In an opinion piece for The Washington Post, Rep. Adam Schiff, soon-to-be chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, warns Whitaker he's being watched.
The president and Whitaker should heed this warning: The new Democratic majority will protect the special counsel and the integrity of the Justice Department. Should Whitaker fail to recuse himself — all indications are that he plans not to — and seek to obstruct the investigation, serve as a back channel to the president or his legal team or interfere in the investigations in any way, he will be called to answer. His actions will be exposed.
It is no mystery why the president chose Whitaker, an obscure and ill-qualified official never confirmed by the Senate, which many legal experts believe makes the appointment itself unconstitutional. Trump chose him to protect himself, his family and his close associates from the special counsel’s investigation and other investigations within the Justice Department.
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... If he does not recuse himself, Whitaker could seek access to the special counsel’s plans and evidence, including grand jury testimony, and would be in a position not just to funnel information to Trump and his legal defense team but also to abuse his authority to cripple or end the investigation. Whitaker could attempt to prevent evidence from reaching Congress and the public or stop the special counsel from subpoenaing important testimony, including from Trump himself.
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Trump, and those who would abet him in undermining the independence of the Justice Department, should understand this: The truth will come out.
Whitaker consulting ‘ethics officials’ on possible recusal from Mueller probe (Politico)