Whitaker responded to oversight with evasion, denial, and delay. Expect more
By MATT FORD
February 8, 2019
President Donald Trump makes no secret of his disrespect for the other two branches of government. He has taken to describing routine congressional oversight of his administration as “presidential harassment” and often harangues federal judges who rule against him in legal proceedings. Matt Whitaker, Trump’s hand-picked acting attorney general, seems to share that disdain for the separation of powers.
... before the House Judiciary Committee on Friday, Whitaker ... seemed allergic to giving a straight answer. Simple yes-and-no questions received laborious and long-winded responses, even when he was quizzed by Republican lawmakers who are sympathetic to the president. To deflect questions about his personal views and professional history, Whitaker repeatedly noted that the hearing wasn’t supposed to be a Senate confirmation hearing. He may be lucky that it wasn’t, since his performance seemed to win him few friends ...
At times, Whitaker’s obstinacy veered into outright hostility. “Have you ever been asked to approve any request or action to be taken by the special counsel?” Jerry Nadler, the committee’s chairman, asked as his allotted time for questions ran out. The acting attorney general didn’t answer the question. “Mr. Chairman, I see that your five minutes are up,” he replied, to loud gasps in the hearing room ...
... Whitaker demurred when Val Demings, a Florida Democrat, asked whether he had discussed the federal investigation in the Southern District of New York. “I am not going to discuss my private conversations with the president of the United States,” he told her. He also admitted that he had only interviewed for two jobs in the Trump administration: to be Trump’s in-house attorney for responding to the Russia investigation, and the chief of staff position under Sessions. At the end of the hearing, Nadler said Whitaker’s testimony was “not credible” and that he might call him back before the committee to give a closed-door deposition ...
https://newrepublic.com/article/153093/trumps-perfect-foot-soldier-sent-democrats-clear-message
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