Interim US Attorney General Questions on Democrats' Investigation of Russia

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Acting US Attorney General Matthew Whitaker was criticized Friday by emboldened Democrat MPs in Congress.

At a militant congressional hearing, Whitaker said that he had not spoken to Trump about whether Moscow had attempted to tip the presidential election of 2016 or if she "was ingested in any way whatsoever" in the investigation since taking office in November.

The Democrats, who took over the Judiciary Committee from the House of Representatives after last year's midterm elections, accused Whitaker of being evasive before the panel and frequently clashed with him.

The hearing room burst with joy when Whitaker firmly rebuffed a question from Democratic President Jerrold Nadler, namely, that he had already been asked to approve an action requested by Mueller.

"Mr. Mr. Speaker, I see your five minutes are up, "said Whitaker, in a bold challenge at the head of the committee. "I am here voluntarily. We have agreed on five-minute rounds, "he added.

"Answer the question, please," replied Nadler.

"How on earth did you become the head of the Department of Justice?" Democratic caucus chair Hakeem Jeffries later criticized Whitaker.

"DO NOT PLAY"

Whitaker's appointment of Whitaker as Acting Attorney General was controversial in part because the person appointed by the President oversaw Special Adviser Robert Mueller's inquiry into the question of if Moscow had mingled with the elections and stuck to Trump's election campaign.

Whitaker had publicly criticized the investigation before joining the Department of Justice in 2017, but had said Friday that he had not spoken to Trump about it.

"I did not talk to the President of the United States about the special council's investigation," Whitaker said.

Democrats have repeatedly accused Whitaker of lack of time by giving them evasive or disjointed answers during the hearing.

In one case, he refused to answer questions of Democratic MP Sheila Jackson Lee with a yes or no answer and made a casual remark about whether the time she had lost was restored before he does not answer his questions.

"Mr. Mr. Attorney General, we are not joking here and your humor is not acceptable, "she said.

Whitaker testified that he never spoke to members of Trump's inner circle about his views as a private citizen before joining the Department of Justice.

Trump reiterated that there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia and called Mueller's investigation a witch hunt.

A political drama erupted on Thursday when Democrats threatened to give Whitaker a summons if he did not answer certain questions during the hearing.

Later, Nadler agreed to drop the threat, after Whitaker had announced that he would withdraw from his testimony if the subpoena was served.

At Friday's hearing, Nadler threatened to force Whitaker to appear before the committee for a statement.

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

"Bring your popcorn," he says. Collins has repeatedly tried to prevent Democrats from asking questions unrelated to Whitaker's current role in the department.

Ethics officials at the Department of Justice recommended that Whitaker recuse himself for not overseeing the investigation of Russia, a decision he chose not to take.

"When career managers at the ministry recommended that you take steps to mitigate your apparent conflicts of interest, you ignored them," Nadler said.

Whitaker defended his decision.

"I had no conflict of interest," he insisted.

"In the end, the decision to challenge or not was mine."

When asked whether he had or had no confidence in Mueller, he told legislators that 39, he respected the former director of the FBI.

"I was registered for my respect for Bob Mueller," Whitaker said. "I have no reason to believe that it is not honest."

Whitaker also denied reports that Trump allegedly criticized him after learning that his former lawyer and personal repairer, Michael Cohen, had pleaded. guilty of having lied to Congress about a Trump tower project in Moscow.

Friday was probably the first and last time Whitaker would testify as Acting Attorney General.

Attorney General Trump's candidate, William Barr, is expected to receive a confirmation vote from the Senate next week.