Jeff Sessions’ chief of staff Matthew Whitaker will be replacing him as Acting Attorney General. But – what is Matthew’s story? Here’s 5 fast facts you should know about the politician.
Jeff Sessions resigned from his position as Attorney General of the United States on November 7, just one day after the midterm election. Now, his chief of staff, Matthew Whitaker, 49, will fill in as Acting Attorney General. As he steps into the new role, everyone is asking: Who is Matthew Whitaker? Here’s what you should know about Sessions’ replacement.
1. Matthew will become Acting Attorney General, but Trump reportedly has flirted with the idea of him replacing Jeff permanently.
Last month, on Oct 10, The Washington Post reported that Trump had recently spoken with Matthew about replacing Sessions as attorney general. However, the publication cited anonymous sources, and added that it was not clear how serious the president was about the idea.
2. He previously ran for state treasurer and U.S. Senate, but lost.
Matthew previously ran as a republican for U.S. Senate and state treasurer. He lost the treasurer’s race to the Democrat candidate, 43% to 54%, in 2002. He later lost in the 2014 Senate race as well.
3. He was a successful college football player.
Matthew played tight end on the 1991 Rose Bowl Team for the Iowa Hawkeyes, according to WHO-TV. He was also inducted into the Iowa High School Football Hall of Fame.
4. He is a former U.S attorney.
Matthew worked as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa. In 2009, he “tendered his resignation” to Barack Obama after serving since 2004.
5. He once wrote an opinion article for CNN criticizing special counsel Robert Mueller.
“It is time for Rosenstein, who is the acting attorney general for the purposes of this investigation, to order Mueller to limit the scope of his investigation to the four corners of the order appointing him special counsel,” he wrote.
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