His latest "best people" is Matthew Whitaker, appointed as acting Attorney General. An appointment made necessary because he fired "best people" Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Although to be fair, Trump now says that he didn't know Whitaker before the appointment but he says Whitaker is a smart guy. Yet, last month he did claim to know Whitaker. Typical Trump dancing around the actual truth. Was Trump's denial of knowing Whitaker to distance himself from a terrible choice or because the optics look like an attempt to handcuff Mueller? A day or two later spokesperson Kellyanne Conway admitted that Trump did know Whitaker prior to the appointment. Does he or doesn't he? Let's bet he knew Whitaker and why he appointed him.
As it turns out, Whitaker doesn't look so smart. He is now the acting chief law enforcement officer of the country yet he is not a fan of the Judicial Branch. It is the judicial system that actually finds lawbreakers guilty or not guilty. It is the judicial system that determines whether laws are constitutional. It is the judiciary that determines whether Whitaker's Justice Department actions, policies, and rules are legal.
In the past, he has stated that the Judicial Branch is not equal, that the courts should be the "inferior branch". He thinks only Christians should serve on the bench. No Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, agnostics, atheists, etc. Judges should be biblical, specifically new testament biblical. What an inclusive and Christian viewpoint.
He was on the board of World Patent Marketing. A company that the Federal Trade Commission labeled a "scam". He is accused of using his prior position as a US Attorney to intimidate customers of that company.
Mr. Whitaker has previously made statements that show he is fully in support of Trump. He thinks the Mueller investigation is a witch hunt among other things. He has prejudged the investigation and some of the people involved. That should disqualify him from overseeing Mueller.
All in all, Matthew Whitaker does not come across as a "best people". It also appears that once again the White House has not vetted an appointee. Was the appointment run by the lawyers? Did anybody even Google the guy?
On top of all that, there is a question about whether this appointment is even constitutional. Whitaker has not been confirmed by the Senate. In the normal succession, Rod Rosenstein, the Deputy Attorney General, would take over the Justice Department. We'll have to wait to see how that is resolved. It will be the inferior Judicial Branch that will decide that. I hope they are all Christian judges involved in that decision.
Just another inept step by an inept administration. No surprises here, it is what we have come to expect from Trump and his minions. Within 24 hours of Whitaker's appointment, the media was able to unearth skeletons in his past. Is it too much to expect the White House to spend an hour or two vetting their appointments?
wjh
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