Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker has told associates that he won’t reduce special counsel Robert Mueller’s budget, as he previously suggested, a source told Bloomberg.
Whitaker, who took over the role last week when former Attorney General Jeff Sessions was ousted, has reportedly said he will allow Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference to move forward. His appointment raised alarms among Democrats and a few Republicans who expressed concern about his past statements about the investigation.
Whitaker has come under scrutiny since his appointment for opinion pieces he wrote for The Hill and CNN advocating for curbing the scope of the Mueller investigation, and suggesting stifling its funding. He penned both pieces prior to joining the Department of Justice as chief of staff to Sessions.
Skeptics of any such effort by Whitaker to cut funding have noted that Mueller’s budget for fiscal year 2019 has already been approved. – READ MORE