Matthew Whitaker is a good choice for acting attorney general, but shouldn’t be the nominee for the permanent Cabinet post, Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said Sunday.
In an interview with NBC News’ “Meet The Press,” Blunt said the nomination and confirmation of a new Attorney General should get underway quickly.
“We need to move as quickly as we can beyond the acting attorney general to the Attorney General, who's going to be there for a much longer period of time,” he said, adding of Whitaker, “In terms of an acting capacity he seems to me to be the person who has the ability to do the acting job.”
But pressed on whether he would have the ability to fill a permanent AG spot, he responded: “I would think not. But the president needs to determine who is going to be at the Justice Department as quickly as he can.”
He also took a swipe at “wild speculation” of former Obama adviser Ben Rhodes, who alleged President Donald Trump covered up the involvement of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the slaying of journalist and Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi.
“I don't know the specific answer,” he said of Trump’s knowledge of the crown prince’s culpability. “I do know that I'm likely to know more about that than Ben Rhodes and I do think that's pretty wild speculation.”
Pressed on whether he was concerned at all that Trump concealed evidence he declared “no.”
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