Swalwell calls acting AG an ‘assassin’ hired to ‘take out’ Mueller probe

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) on Monday called new acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker an “assassin” hired by President Trump to “take out” the special counsel’s Russia investigation.

Swalwell’s comments echo sentiments from many other Democrats, who have spent days accusing Trump of seeking to undermine Robert Mueller’s probe by firing former Attorney General Jeff Sessions and appointing Whitaker to oversee it. Whitaker, a Trump loyalist, has publicly made comments criticizing the special counsel’s investigation and proposing ways the attorney general could stifle it. 

{mosads}”We’re not going to allow the president to just, you know, kill this Russia investigation by hiring an assassin like Matt Whitaker to come in and take it out,” Swalwell said on CNN’s “The Situation Room.” 

“Whitaker was hired because of his views on the investigation,” Swalwell said. “He’s prejudged the investigation.” 

Democratic leaders on Sunday sent a letter requesting a formal update from the Department of Justice’s ethics office on whether Whitaker should recuse himself from overseeing Mueller’s investigation.

The Democrats, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.), in the letter listed what they see as Whitaker’s potential ethical conflicts. They pointed out that he has spoken out against Mueller’s investigation in multiple op-eds, including one for The Hill, and television appearances and has ties to a former Trump 2016 campaign national co-chairman. 

Schumer over the weekend also pledged to tie a measure protecting Mueller to a piece of spending legislation that must pass Congress, according to The Associated Press. 

Swalwell during the CNN interview said House Democrats, who just regained a majority, could withhold key votes if Republicans do not act to protect Mueller’s investigation.

“The Republicans have not been able to get a budget passed in the last two years with their own votes, despite controlling the House and the Senate,” the California Democrat said. “So if they want Democratic votes, we’re saying they’re going to need to ensure that the Mueller investigation is protected.”