Whitaker rejected ethics official's advice he should recuse from Russia probe
Updated 6:36 AM EST, Fri December 21, 2018
Washington (CNN) Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker disregarded the advice of a Justice Department ethics official to step aside from overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, according to a senior department official close to the process.
Whitaker, who has previously criticized the investigation, never sought a formal recommendation about whether he needed to recuse, the source said. Instead, he received guidance on his options and the applicable rules over the course of three meetings with ethics officials and multiple discussions with his own advisers.
Ultimately, it was Whitaker's decision, but the view of ethics officials will likely raise fresh questions for Democrats on Capitol Hill who have sounded the alarm about whether he will try to undercut Mueller's work.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/12/20/politics/matthew-whitaker-attorney-general-robert-mueller-investigation/index.html