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Acting US Attorney General Vows to Lead Office With Highest Ethical Standards

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The new Acting US Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said in a statement that he vows to uphold the rule of law and lead the Department of Justice with the highest ethical standards.
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"I am committed to leading a fair Department with the highest ethical standards, that upholds the rule of law, and seeks justice for all Americans," Whitaker said on Wednesday.

Dems Say Trump's Sessions Firing Threatens Mueller's Russiagate Probe
Earlier in the day, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions submitted his resignation at the request of President Donald Trump, who subsequently named Whitaker, Sessions’s chief of staff, as acting attorney general. Democratic lawmakers immediately called on Whitaker to recuse himself from Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller’s probe.

Whitaker has previously questioned the scope of the Mueller probe, writing an opinion column for CNN last year charging that the investigation would be going too far if expanded to include Trump family finances.

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Mueller is investigating allegations of Russian interference in the presidential election, and possible coordination between Moscow and the Trump campaign. Both Trump and Moscow have denied all allegations of collusion, and the Kremlin has called accusations of meddling in the election "absurd."

Trump has been critical of Sessions ever since the Attorney General recused himself from the Russia probe. During an interview in August Trump slammed sessions for the recusal and said the department was out of control. Sessions responded in a letter saying the Justice Department will not be improperly influenced by political considerations.

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