Whitaker Tells Associates He Will Not Slash Mueller Budget

Hundreds of protestors gather and march in Philadelphia, November 8, 2018 in an event pre-planned by organizers and triggered by President Trump's firing of Attorney General Sessions and appointment of Matthew Whitaker as Acting AG, seen as a potential threat against the Mueller investigation. (Photo by Michael Candelori/NurPhoto)
Hundreds of protestors gather and march in Philadelphia, November 8, 2018 in an event pre-planned by organizers and triggered by President Trump's firing of Attorney General Sessions and appointment of Matthew Whitak... Hundreds of protestors gather and march in Philadelphia, November 8, 2018 in an event pre-planned by organizers and triggered by President Trump's firing of Attorney General Sessions and appointment of Matthew Whitaker as Acting AG, seen as a potential threat against the Mueller investigation. (Photo by Michael Candelori/NurPhoto via Getty Images) MORE LESS
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Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker — who took over after President Trump forced Jeff Sessions to resign just hours after the midterms — has told associates in private that he will not slash funding to special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe, Bloomberg reported. 

According to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to Bloomberg, Whitaker plans to allow the investigation to continue, despite his comments last summer when he told CNN if Sessions were ousted, an acting director could reduce Mueller’s budget “so low that his investigations grind to a halt” rather than firing the special counsel.

Whitaker, who served as Sessions chief of staff, has been openly critical of the Russia probe for some time, but he has no intentions of recusing himself from overseeing the probe.

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