Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker criticized Trump in interviews as 'unlikable,' 'self-serving,' and 'dangerous'
President Trump has called Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker "a great guy," but the feeling apparently wasn't always mutual.
The Washington Post reviewed hundreds of interviews with Whitaker that were conducted before he was named as successor to former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and found that during the 2016 election he called both Trump and Hillary Clinton "unlikable."
Whitaker also later said that Trump should release his tax returns and called the letter he wrote firing former FBI Director James Comey "so self-serving." When Trump falsely accused former President Barack Obama of wiretapping him, Whitaker called the statement "outlandish" and said Trump might be making it up "whole cloth." On one radio show, Whitaker wondered whether "anyone has the president's ear" or if he "just kind of watches news accounts and responds to, which is a little dangerous."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The report points out that Whitaker's criticism continued up until shortly before he joined the Justice Department. In September 2017, he said that Trump's response to the violence in Charlottesville was "woefully inadequate" and that he needed to reject "white supremacists and alt-right groups."
With these past comments, Whitaker joins a long line of Trump officials who criticized him before joining his administration: White House counselor Kellyanne Conway once said Trump "built a lot of his business on the backs of the little guy," U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said he represented everything she "doesn't want in a president," and Energy Secretary Rick Perry said his "toxic mix of demagoguery, mean-spiritedness and nonsense" would destroy the Republican Party.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Aid to Ukraine: too little, too late?
Talking Point House of Representatives finally 'met the moment' but some say it came too late
By The Week UK Published
-
5 generously funny cartoons on the $60 billion foreign aid package
Cartoons Artists take on Republican opposition, aid to Ukraine, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Knife: Salman Rushdie's 'mesmeric memoir' of brutal attack
The Week Recommends The author's account of ordeal which cost him his eye is both 'scary and heartwarming'
By The Week Staff Published
-
Ukraine cheers House approval of military aid
Speed Read Following a lengthy struggle, the House has approved $95 billion in aid for Ukraine and Israel
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Poland, Germany nab alleged anti-Ukraine spies
Speed Read A man was arrested over a supposed Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel hits Iran with retaliatory airstrike
Speed Read The attack comes after Iran's drone and missile barrage last weekend
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Peter Murrell: Sturgeon's husband charged over SNP 'embezzlement' claims
Speed Read SNP expresses 'shock' as former chief executive rearrested in long-running investigation into claims of mishandled campaign funds
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Mark Menzies: Tories investigate MP after 'bad people' cash claims
Speed Read Fylde MP will sit as an independent while party looks into allegations he misused campaign funds on medical expenses and blackmail pay-out
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Why Johnson won't just pass Ukraine aid
Speed Read The House Speaker could have sent $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine — but it would have split his caucus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Sudan on brink of collapse after a year of war
Speed Read 18 million people face famine as the country continues its bloody downward spiral
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump's first criminal trial starts with jury picks
Speed Read The former president faces charges related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published