More than 400 former Justice Department officials and attorneys have signed a statement saying they are “disturbed” by the appointment of acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker.
The statement, released Tuesday by government watchdog group Protect Democracy, includes a variety of signatories that worked under attorneys general that were nominated by both Republican and Democratic presidents.
“Because of our respect for our oaths of office and our personal experiences carrying out the department’s mission, we are disturbed by the president’s appointment of Matthew Whitaker to serve as acting attorney general,” the statement said.
“Mr. Whitaker has not been confirmed by the Senate, his qualifications to be the nation’s chief law enforcement officer have not been publicly reviewed, and he has not been fully vetted for any potential conflicts of interest,” it added.
Whitaker took over on Nov. 7 after former Attorney General Jeff Sessions was forced out by the White House. President Trump appointed Whitaker, who had served as Sessions’ chief of staff for more than a year, by leaning on the Federal Vacancies Act.
Critics have called the appointment unconstitutional. The appointment is also subject of multiple legal challenges in federal courts, and congressional Democrats have already begun peppering Whitaker and the Justice Department with questions and requests for documents.
The Justice Department defended the elevation of Whitaker in a legal memo released last month.
Trump has not yet announced a nominee for attorney general, and he has roughly seven months since Whitaker’s appointment to do so.
“We therefore call on the president to follow the constitutional process by nominating an attorney general, and replacing Mr. Whitaker as acting attorney general with the Senate-confirmed official who is next in the line of succession by operation of federal law. We likewise call on the Senate to insist that its constitutional prerogative to provide advice and consent be respected,” the officials wrote.
Former Justice Department employees are being encouraged to sign the letter, which Protect Democracy says will be updated twice daily with new signatories.
A Justice Department spokesperson did not return a request for comment about the letter campaign.
