white house President Donald Trump defended acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker as a “highly respected man” on Friday, while also claiming he didn’t know him despite reports Whitaker had regularly visited the Oval Office in recent months. “I don’t know Whitaker,” the president told reporters, but added that he is “highly thought of” and a “highly respected man.” Story Continued Below The New York Times reported in September that Whitaker, then the chief of staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, had “frequently visited the Oval Office” and that Trump had called him to offer “reassurance that he has faith in him.” The Washington Post also cited a senior administration official who said Whitaker met with Trump in the Oval Office more than a dozen times, usually alongside Sessions. Trump has also previously said that he does actually know Whitaker. “I can tell you Matt Whitaker’s a great guy,” he said on an interview on “Fox and Friends” on Oct. 11. “I mean, I know Matt Whitaker.” Trump’s comments appearing to distance himself from Whitaker came as the new DOJ head has quickly drawn criticism over past comments he made on special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election, which he said went too far. Whitaker, who is now overseeing the Mueller probe, definitively said last year that there was “no evidence of collusion” between Russia and the Trump campaign, and also warned that the probe could be turning into a “witch hunt.” On Friday, Trump said… [Read full story]
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