So much for ethics

Written by

Ophelia Benson

in

Uh oh. Bad news.

Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker has consulted with ethics officials at the Justice Department and they have advised him he does not need to recuse himself from overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, a source familiar with the process told CNN Thursday.

…

Whitaker is expected to inform senators, many of whom have raised ethics concerns given his past criticism of Mueller’s investigation, about this development later Thursday, the source said.

Walter Shaub is disgusted.

https://twitter.com/waltshaub/status/1075769603056390144

https://twitter.com/waltshaub/status/1075790489629155328

Comments

3 responses to “So much for ethics”

  1. Screechy Monkey Avatar
    Screechy Monkey

    Update: WaPo reports that actually, the ethics folks said he should recuse, so Whitaker asked his flunkies for a second opinion:

    A senior Justice Department ethics official concluded acting attorney general Matthew G. Whitaker should recuse from overseeing special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s probe examining President Trump, but advisers to Whitaker recommended the opposite and he has no plans to step aside, according to people familiar with the matter.

    The latest account of what happened underscores the high stakes and deep distrust — within Congress and in some corners of the Justice Department — surrounding Whitaker’s appointment to become the nation’s top law enforcement official until the Senate votes on the nomination of William P. Barr to take the job. Earlier in the day, a different official, who spoke on the condition they not be named, said ethics officials had advised Whitaker need not step aside, only to retract that account hours later.

  2. Ophelia Benson Avatar
    Ophelia Benson

    Arrgh!

  3. Acolyte of Sagan Avatar
    Acolyte of Sagan

    Mummy said no so he asked Daddy.

More posts