Yet another issue House Democrats may want to explore in several weeks: Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker has reportedly been cleared by Justice Department ethics officials to remain in charge of the Russia probe he routinely slandered before being appointed to the post (though new information suggests he sought no formal ruling from the ethics office.) The Washington Post writes:
As the Justice Department’s top official, Whitaker already had been supervising special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and was recently notified in advance of a key guilty plea in the case.
CNN, which first reported the news, adds that the office of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein continues to handle day-to-day oversight of the Mueller probe.
Whitaker has repeatedly criticized the investigation and even mused about how it could be choked off by restraining funding until it simply "grinds to a halt." He also dismissed the notion that Don Jr.'s June 2016 Trump Tower meeting suggested any type of conspiracy with the Russians and has warned that investigating Trump's family business would be going to far.
Donald Trump has nominated William Barr to become his next attorney general. New reporting reveals Barr has criticized the obstruction part of the probe as “fatally misconceived.” Shocker.