Acting AG Whitaker Agrees to Testify Before House Committee

Lawmakers have reached a deal with Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker for him to publicly testify before Congress next month, The Hill reported.

Whitaker's testimony is set for Feb. 8, whether the partial government shutdown continues or not, according to a letter House Judiciary head Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., sent to Whitaker.

"Thank you for continuing to work with us to find a time for you to testify before the House Committee on the Judiciary," Nadler wrote.

"As we have discussed, and I have informed your staff, I expect you to appear on Feb. 8 whether or not the current lapse in appropriations has been resolved, and whether or not the Senate has confirmed a new Attorney General," he added.

Nadler advised Whitaker to consult with the White House ahead of the hearing on whether he plans to "invoke executive privilege in an attempt to avoid answering any particular question."

News of his expected appearance on Capitol Hill comes on the same day the Senate Judiciary Committee began a two-day hearing with William Barr, President Donald Trump's nominee for Attorney General, The Hill noted.

Whitaker is the first administration official to agree to testify publicly before the now Democrat-controlled House — and faced scrutiny for being a Trump loyalist, making remarks criticizing special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe, and his rise to the top of the Justice Department after Jeff Sessions' ouster last November.

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