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The president of the judiciary, Jerrold Nadler, told reporters Wednesday that former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker "did not deny" that President Trump had called him to discuss the Michael Cohen case and personnel decisions in the Southern District of New York.
The comments came after an in camera meeting between committee members, their staff and Whitaker. The two men met because Nadler had asked Whitaker to clarify the comments he made to the committee last month.
During his testimony, Nadler publicly stated that Whitaker had refused to answer specific questions about whether he had discussed Cohen's case in the Southern District of New York with Trump and how much he had spoken to him. Cohen in general with Trump.
"You have repeatedly refused to give clear answers about your communications with the White House, and you have been inconsistent in your application of the [Department of Justice’s] the politics of discussing ongoing investigations, "wrote Nadler in a letter asking Cohen to reappear before the committee.
Following their closed meeting on Wednesday, Mr. Nadler stated that Mr. Whitaker was involved in discussions about the Southern District of New York and "the dismissal of one or more US attorneys".
Nadler also said that Whitaker was also involved in discussions over the recusal of US lawyer Geoffrey Berman and on "whether the Southern District had gone too far in pursuit of the campaign funding case in which the president had been named as individual number 1, "said Nadler.
"We do not agree with the description given by Representative Nadler in the conversation," said a Justice Department official who was in the room. "In accordance with his previous testimony, Mr. Whitaker stated that he could not discuss private conversations with the President … and that the President had never ordered him to do anything that would affect his investigation. . "
The official said Whitaker had repeatedly stated that during his tenure as Acting Attorney General, "the department handled the Cohen case (and all other cases) in accordance with established Ministry policies and without undue interference".
Another DOJ official informed of the conversation said Whitaker had answered several questions stating that he could not discuss his talks with Trump.
Only a few people were in the room: Nadler; the supreme Republican of the committee, the representative Doug Collins; DOJ lawyers; and the staff of Nadler and Collins. No transcripts of the meeting were produced.
Collins agreed with the opinion shared by the DOJ official.
"In fact, he stated that he had never spoken to Mr. Cohen's President or any conversations with the South District of New York either," Collins told reporters after the meeting, according to The Hill.
"I think it's [Nadler’s] interpretation of what he said, "continued Collins, according to the paper. Whitaker said that he had not had a conversation with the president about Cohen. … If Mr. Nadler chooses to say in the absence of what he did not say and that is how he interprets that, then Mr. Nadler will have to answer, "he continued.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Whitaker's tenure as Acting Attorney General lasted approximately three months. He left the Department of Justice with the appointment of William Barr as Attorney General in February.
His short term as Acting Attorney General sparked controversy when information was revealed that he had openly opposed the Special Advocate's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election. .
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