Pelosi Statement on DOJ Opinion on Whitaker

Contact: Ashley Etienne/Henry Connelly, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi issued this statement after the Trump Administration’s DOJ released an opinion regarding the constitutionality of the President’s appointment of Matthew G. Whitaker as Acting Attorney General:
 
“The appointment of Matthew Whitaker as the nation’s chief legal officer does violence to the Constitution and the vision of our Founders.  The Appointments Clause in the Constitution – which clearly trumps any statute the Administration’s lawyers have chosen to cite – is violated by the President’s brazen installation of a partisan hack whose reported history of shady business dealings, including involvement in patent scams  and questions surrounding a taxpayer-financed loan, would preclude him from Senate confirmation.
 
“Bipartisan legal experts agree that this appointment is unconstitutional.  The delays in this opinion’s release and the multiple reports of DOJ officials raising concerns about the appointment make clear that the President’s action is on extremely dubious legal ground.  The President is clearly dodging the Senate confirmation process, installing a political lackey at the helm of the DOJ solely to obstruct the Mueller investigation.
 
“This unconstitutional appointment should be immediately rescinded, and Whitaker, who is obviously unfit for the position of Attorney General, should be recused from any involvement in the Mueller investigation because of his clear conflicts of interest.”
 

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