Pascrell Assails Justice Department Corruption Scandal

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) attacked Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker and the Trump administration in the wake of reports that Whitaker disregarded the advice of a senior Justice Department ethics official to recuse himself from supervision over the Mueller criminal probe into Donald Trump and his associates.

“The Acting Attorney General’s refusal to recuse himself over supervision of the Mueller probe is a gigantic scandal. Whitaker’s past statements attacking Mr. Mueller are clear violations of the spirit and letter of federal regulations on recusal. Reviewing his thin record, it is hard to argue that Whitaker was appointed for any reason other than because he would bodyguard Donald Trump from legal accountability for his corruption.  Whitaker’s presence at Justice debases the work of every law enforcement official in America. Unfortunately, Trump’s attacks on the Justice Department do not end with Whitaker. We learned this week that the presumptive nominee for Attorney General, William Barr, wrote a fawning memorandum to Trump officials detailed his disdain for the Mueller probe. He too is unfit for this post.

“The Department of Justice remains our republic’s most important institutional bulwark. The willingness of lackies like Matt Whitaker to undermine the rule of law and look the other way to Donald Trump’s bottomless corruption threatens every American. In the tumult of consuming chaos emanating from the White House, they must not be ignored.”