Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker will likely not recuse himself from the Russia probe

(Image credit: AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

last updated 8 November 2018

New Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker, who in the past has said that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election meddling had gone too far, has no plans to recuse himself from it.

Associates close to Whitaker, who took over after former Attorney General Jeff Sessions was forced out Wednesday, expressed this to The Washington Post, adding that Whitaker would also likely not approve a request from Mueller to subpoena President Trump.

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But considering that Sessions recusing himself from the Russia probe was precisely the reason Trump turned on him and ultimately pushed him out of the administration, this seems unlikely. In addition to his public comments, the Post reports that while working as Sessions' chief of staff at the Justice Department, Whitaker bemoaned the fact that the Mueller investigation has gone on too long and expressed "doubts about the scope" of it. Evidently, though, Whitaker disagrees with Trump in that he thinks Sessions had "no choice" but to recuse himself. Read more at The Washington Post.

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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.

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