The odds that the United States could end up in a political or a constitutional crisis have been increased with the appointment of Matt Whitaker as acting attorney general, former NSA and CIA Director Michael Hayden said Friday.
"Legal scholars are pointing out that may indeed be unlawful, illegal and illegitimate and his actions that he takes will not have a force of law," Hayden told CNN's "New Day." "I think we can all agree that (Deputy Attorney General) Rod Rosenstein was a firewall for the (Robert) Mueller investigation. That firewall is now removed."
Whitaker's appointment has come under fire because of statement's he's made criticizing Mueller's appointment. Hayden on Friday said he was a "little bit surprised" at how fast former Attorney General Jeff Sessions was pushed out and Whitaker, the chief of staff for the attorney general's office, was named as his stand-in pending an appointment of a new cabinet official.
"I was a little bit surprised with regard to the speed, a little bit surprised that Attorney General Sessions wasn't allowed to stay until the end of the week, which apparently he had requested," said Hayden. "Frankly, Mr. Whittaker's credentials for the job are simply his personal and political loyalty to President (Donald) Trump."
Hayden also spoke out against Trump's order to deny asylum for people who illegally cross the U.S. border, and the decision to deploy troops in response to a caravan of migrants moving through Mexico.
"I called the deployment of our forces to the border several weeks ago security theater, rather than any response to a real, bona fide threat to the United States," said Hayden.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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