• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / News / Senator Grassley says Justice Department confident Whitaker appointment is legal

Senator Grassley says Justice Department confident Whitaker appointment is legal

November 13, 2018 By Matt Kelley

Senator Chuck Grassley. (file photo)

A court challenge is being raised in Maryland over the presidential appointment of Iowa native Matt Whitaker as acting U.S. attorney general because he wasn’t confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, says it’s a legitimate concern to raise. “I asked that very same question of him last week when I had a short telephone conversation with him,” Grassley says. “I never gave it any thought until I started hearing on TV that the question was being raised as you’ve raised.”

Whitaker was serving as chief of staff to Jeff Sessions, who resigned as attorney general last week at the president’s request. President Trump then named Whitaker to replace Sessions. Grassley says he’s confident Whitaker is on solid legal ground.

“There is, within the Justice Department, an Office of Legal Counsel,” Grassley says, “and he told me they were satisfied that his appointment was within the law and within the Constitution.” Whitaker has stated publicly that the investigation should be abandoned that’s being led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into alleged Russian tampering in the 2016 election.

Grassley was asked why that statement by Whitaker wouldn’t disqualify him from overseeing the probe. “Because they were made as a private citizen and not as a public official,” Grassley says. “I think it would be very wrong for the president or Matt Whitaker or anybody else to interfere with the special counsel’s job.”

President Trump is expected to ask the U.S. Senate to confirm Whitaker to the job permanently. Whitaker is an Ankeny native who has twice run for statewide office in Iowa. He also served for more than five years as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa.

 

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: News, Politics / Govt

Featured Stories

Senator Ernst says Russian ban shows she’s doing something right

Bill creates new deer hunting season, with AR-15s

Governor signs Iowa Renewable Fuels Standard into law

Jury returns guilty verdict in shooting death of State Trooper

A haboob, a dust storm black out, hits northwest Iowa

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Iowa’s Huckstorf garners national award

Iowa Special Olympics Summer games set to open in Ames

Radio Iowa/Baseball Coaches Association High School Poll 5/16/22

Iowa assistant coach Kirk Speraw to retire

Northern Iowa prepares for Missouri Valley Conference softball tournament

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2022 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC