Acting U.S. attorney general snaps at Democrats over Russia probe

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Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker snapped back on Friday at newly emboldened Democrats in the Congress who are pushing for information on the special counsel's Russia probe as they try to put the Trump administration under greater scrutiny.

In a combative congressional hearing, Whitaker said he had not talked to Trump about the probe into whether Moscow tried to tip the 2016 presidential election, or "interfered in any way" in the investigation since taking his role in November.

Democrats, who took over the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee after last year's midterm elections, accused Whitaker of being evasive in front of the panel and frequently clashed with him.

The hearing room erupted in gasps when Whitaker pushed back strongly against a question from chairman Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat, about whether he had ever been asked to approve any action requested by Mueller.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker turns to Justice Department aides as he testifies before the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, February 8, 2019. /VCG Photo

"Mr. Chairman, I see that your five minutes is up," Whitaker said, in a bold challenge to the head of the committee. "I am here voluntarily. We have agreed to five-minute rounds," he added.

"Answer the question please," Nadler replied.

"How the heck did you become the head of the Department of Justice?" Democratic Caucus chairman Hakeem Jeffries later railed at Whitaker.

'Not joking'

Trump's naming of Whitaker as acting attorney general caused controversy in part because it meant that the president's appointee oversees the probe by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into whether Moscow meddled in the election and colluded with Trump's campaign.

Whitaker had publicly criticized the investigation before joining the Justice Department in 2017 but said on Friday he had not discussed it with Trump.

"I have not talked to the president of the United States about the special counsel's investigation," Whitaker said.

Democrats repeatedly accused Whitaker of running out the clock by giving them evasive or rambling answers in the hearing.

In one case, he refused to answer Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee's questions with a yes or no, and made a flippant remark about whether the time she had lost on the clock had been restored before he answered her questions.

"Mr. Attorney General, we are not joking here and your humor is not acceptable," she said.

Whitaker testified he had never spoken with members of Trump's inner circle about his views on the probe as a private citizen before he joined the Justice Department.

Trump has repeatedly said there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia and has called Mueller's investigation a witch hunt.

Source(s): Reuters