Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker Goes OFF On Rep. Jerry Nadler, Room Gasps

Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker is testifying before the House Judiciary Committee, and things just got weird. At one point, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler asked Whitaker if he had “ever been asked to approve any action or request to be taken by the special counsel.”

Whitaker’s response?

“Mr. Chairman, I see that your five minutes is up.”

Oh man. The room gasped. The back and forth was so uncomfortable, but Whitaker ultimately issued this response:

“I want to be very specific about this, Mr. Chairman, because I think it’s going to allay a lot of fears that have existed among this committee, among the legislative branch largely and maybe amongst some American people. We have followed the special counsel’s regulations to a T. There has been no event, no decision that has required me to take any action, and I have not interfered in any way with the special counsel’s investigation.”

Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker tells House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler “I see that your five minutes is up” when asked if President Trump ever requested that Whitaker take action against special counsel Robert Mueller. https://t.co/2nySmKwaK3 pic.twitter.com/imwkvIn3ic

— CNN (@CNN) February 8, 2019

By the way, ranking member Rep. Doug Collins slammed the entire hearing as “nothing more than a character assassination.”

“This hearing is a character assassination on Acting Attorney General Whitaker, all pure political theater, to go after the president,” Collins said in his opening statement.

“By next Thursday, Bill Barr will be attorney general,” he added. “This gentleman is finishing up his term as acting attorney general.”

Man, things are heated!