CNN: Ethics Officials Tell Whitaker He Does Not Have to Recuse Himself

Ethics officials at the Justice Department have told acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker he does not need to recuse himself from overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, CNN is reporting.

The news network attributed the information to an unnamed source, who said Whitaker had consulted with ethics officials for advice. He reportedly has had ongoing talks with the officials since assuming the job in early November.

Whitaker replaced Jeff Sessions, who had recused himself from the investigation. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein oversaw the probe after Session’s recusal. Rosenstein is reportedly still managing the probe on a day-to-day basis.

Whitaker is expected to inform lawmakers of the advice from ethics officials on Thursday.

In an interview with CNN in July 2017, Whitaker had suggested the Mueller probe could be starved of its resources by cutting the budget “so low that his investigation grinds to almost a halt.”

He also wrote a column that said Mueller would be straying outside his mandate if he investigated Trump family finances.

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