The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee believes that President Donald Trump’s appointment of Matt Whitaker – the chief of staff of recently-ousted Attorney General Jeff Sessions – to acting-AG means the investigation into Russia collusion in the 2016 presidential race is threatened with tampering by the White House. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) said, “It’s unfortunate that we all knew the president was going to try to get rid of Jeff Sessions,” adding that the President’s new pick is a stanch “Trump loyalist.”
Warner criticized Trump for not appointing a government official who has previous senatorial confirmation, for example, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Solicitor General Noel Francisco.
Rosenstein, who now has handed control of the Russia investigation over to Whitaker, was in hot water with Trump weeks ago after he spoke out in the New York Times about seeking the 25th Amendment to have the President removed from office, and wearing a wire during White House meetings to expose alleged chaos within the administration. After a meeting in the Oval Office, however, it was announced that Rosenstein would remain as deputy AG at least until after the midterm elections.
Number three at the Department of Justice, Francisco has been pulled into the investigation by White House Special Counsel Robert Mueller from his role as a lawyer on Trump’s transition team, which has been under great scrutiny as the results from the probe unfold. Therefore, his possible conflict of interest raises concerns among some lawmakers.
Regardless, Whitaker, a former Iowa federal prosecutor, has been very supportive of President Trump in light of the special counsel’s probe into collusion between the Russian government and the Trump campaign team two years ago.
Senator Warner said that other former Trump associates – Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen, and Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg – are all cooperating with the government as the commander-in-chief has reportedly answered “personal questions” from Mueller on Friday.
Though, the Virginia Democrat said the “public needs to see the results” of the probe.
During an interview with host of Fox News‘s “Your World” Neil Cavuto:
“Warner said there are others in Trump’s orbit like Roger Stone — a former Nixon confidante and political consultant — who have a ‘swirl’ around them.”
Fearful that the special counsel is in danger of being fired by the Trump Administration, Warner exclaimed it would be a “bright” red line crossed if Whitaker “fires or hampers” with Mueller. The senator has been at odds with the White House since January 2017, most notably for his admonishment of Associate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during the months-long confirmation process.