Acting attorney general reportedly interviewed to be a 'legal attack dog' for Trump against Mueller

Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker, who in this new capacity will oversee Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russian election meddling investigation, interviewed last summer to be a "legal attack dog against the special counsel" for President Trump, The New York Times reported Friday.

Whitaker met with White House counsel Don McGahn in July 2017, and while he did not end up in a role on the president's legal team, the Times' sources close to Trump say Whitaker is expected to rein in Mueller's probe in his new position.

As Whitaker's selection came under scrutiny, Trump on Friday claimed not to know him, though he said the opposite on Fox & Friends just last month. And Whitaker himself reportedly told Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), with whom he shares a home state, that he hasn't "the slightest idea" how long he'll remain in charge of the Department of Justice.

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Read the full report, which includes a dive into Whitaker's personal and professional history, at The New York Times.