[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 179 (Tuesday, November 13, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H9507-H9508]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
THE APPOINTMENT OF MATTHEW WHITAKER AS ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL
(Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI asked and was given permission to address the
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on the appointment of
Matthew Whitaker as Acting Attorney General of the United States.
Mr. Whitaker has repeatedly dismissed the value and seriousness of
the Mueller investigation while advising the President on strategies to
sabotage it, including through advocating for investigations the DOJ's
own professional staff had already determined were unnecessary.
Mr. Whitaker's broader record on issues of justice is just as
disturbing, as the Anti-Defamation League found his opposition to the
appointment of non-Christian Federal judges to be ``deeply troubling.''
[[Page H9508]]
Lastly, Mr. Whitaker's service as Acting Attorney General has been
widely recognized by legal experts from across the political spectrum
as unconstitutional because of the clear requirement that principal
officers, such as the DOJ's Secretary, demand Senate confirmation.
The United States needs an Attorney General worthy of the office and
committed to protecting the efforts of Special Counsel Mueller. But so
long as Mr. Whitaker remains in office, he should follow ethical
guidelines and recuse himself from the Mueller investigation.
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