Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said newly appointed acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker doesn’t need to recuse himself from overseeing the Russia investigation.
“I think [Whitaker] was appropriately appointed, legally,” Graham said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “I don’t think he has to recuse himself.”
Graham, a member of the Judiciary Committee, said he spoke with Whitaker on the phone on Saturday and plans to meet with him in the coming week.
Democrats and a number of Republicans have voiced concern over Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ forced resignation immediately following the midterm elections, saying it could spur a constitutional crisis.
Democrats have concerns over Whitaker’s critical comments of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, which is looking at Russian interference and potential collusion between President Trump’s campaign and the Kremlin. Sessions recused himself from the Russia probe last year, much to the ire of the president, and the role then fell to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
Whitaker, who now has the oversight role, on multiple occasions has questioned the legitimacy of Mueller’s probe, saying at one point that it was “going too far.” Democrats plan to summon, and if necessary subpoena, Whitaker as soon as they take control of the House in January.
