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Critics continue to put pressure on Matthew Whitaker after he has been appointed acting replacement for Jeff Sessions.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP
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Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP
Critics continue to put pressure on Matthew Whitaker after he has been appointed acting replacement for Jeff Sessions.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP
Critics have escalated their pressure on the acting Attorney General Tuesday, but the Justice Department – including the special advocate Robert Mueller's office – says he's continuing his activities as usual .
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer has asked the Justice Department's watchdog to investigate the existence of "illicit or inappropriate communications" between the White House and the Acting Attorney General. , Matthew Whitaker.
Democrats worry that Trump is using Whitaker to rely on Mueller, who is trying to find out if anyone in his campaign has conspired with the Russians who attacked the 2016 election. .
"Recent reports regarding Mr. Whitaker's unusual contacts with the White House raise serious concerns about whether he has engaged in communications aimed at undermining or impeding the investigation of the White House. Special adviser Robert Mueller on the investigation regarding Russia's interference in the 2016 election, or who might otherwise have been in violation of law or policy, "wrote Schumer.
He was the last Democrat to go on the offensive against Whitaker on what critics call his appointment "unconstitutional". Trump has put in place at the head of the Deputy Attorney General of the Department of Justice, Rod Rosenstein, already in office and confirmed by the Senate.
A group of Democrats had previously sued the Department of Justice in federal court as a result of this appointment, arguing that Whitaker's installation amounts to a Trump offer to limit Mueller's work.
"The idea that Matthew Whitaker will control this investigation is absolutely heinous, and he should at least recuse himself," said Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal to NPR. "He already stated that he thought the investigation was actually a hoax.He provided a plan to smother him and strangle him by cutting funds, by cutting off fire at authority and refusing subpoenas. "
The Department of Justice says that Whitaker's appointment is backed by law and history.
"The appointment of Matt Whitaker by President Trump as Acting Attorney General of the United States is lawful and in accordance with the Federal Vacancy Reform Act, the United States Constitution Appointment Clause, the United States Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, the previous opinions of the Ministry of Justice and the actions of the Presidents of the United States, Republican and Democrat, "said spokeswoman Kerri Kupec.
She referred to an opinion made public by the Office of the Legal Counsel, which had found many examples of what it called appropriate provisional appointments.
Kupec goes on: "There are more than 160 cases in American history in which unconfirmed people in the Senate have, on a temporary basis, held the positions of a position confirmed by the Senate. it's ignoring centuries of practice and precedents. "
Moreover, Mueller's office also argued in legal documents that for at least the purposes of an ongoing lawsuit, Whitaker's appointment had no effect.
Andrew Miller, partner of political consultant Roger Stone, opposes his legal authority.
Miller's attorneys asserted in federal court in Washington, D.C., that Mueller did not have the power to compel Miller to testify under a subpoena. In the context of this case, a judge asked the parties to explain what effect the appointment of Whitaker had on Mueller's work and on the current case.
Zero, supported the office of the special advocate.
"None of [the] The arguments are affected by the change of identity of the Acting Attorney General while this case is on appeal, "Mueller's office said Monday in a court file. This court should resolve any new issues raised by Miller. "
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