The U.S. Acting Attorney General, Matthew Whitaker, will appear before the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives on Friday, the body’s chair, Jerry Nadler, said.
Whitaker is expected to face questions on the Mueller probe, among other topics, from a Congress controlled by the Democrats.
“Assistant Attorney General, Stephen Boyd, had sought a written assurance that the committee will not issue a subpoena to the Acting Attorney General.
“Else, the Department of Justice will be forced to decline to participate in the hearing.
“If you appear before the committee and if you are prepared to respond to questions from our members, then I assure you that there will be no need for the committee to issue a subpoena,’’ Nadler noted.
The chair added that if the top judicial official felt that he was “unable to fully respond to any specific question,’’ the committee will be “prepared to handle your concerns on a case-by-case basis’’.
Nadler had said he might need the “threat” of the subpoena, which could force Whitaker to answer questions he deems to fall under executive privilege, to get answers during the Friday session. (dpa/NAN)