Matthew Whitaker may find himself on the hot seat after a report Tuesday appeared to contradict his sworn testimony that President Trump never pressured him over the Russia probe.
When Whitaker was newly installed as acting AG, Trump asked him whether Manhattan federal prosecutor Geoffrey Berman — a Trump pal — could be put in charge of the investigation into Trump’s hush-money payoffs to a porn star and a Playboy centerfold, the New York Times reported.
There is no evidence that Whitaker intervened with the investigation underway in the Southern District.
But he did tell colleagues at the Justice Department that the New York prosecutors needed “adult supervision,” the paper reported.
Whitaker, who once told associates that his role at Justice was to “jump on a grenade” for Trump, knew he couldn’t put Berman in charge, since he had already recused himself from the probe because of conflicts.
The commander-in-chief soon “soured” on Whitaker, and complained about his inability to make his legal problems go away, according to the report.
The Whitaker anecdote was part of a larger story detailing Trump’s efforts to discredit special counsel Robert Mueller, the Justice Department and FBI to try to derail probes into Russian election meddling and possible collusion with the Trump campaign and other subjects.
Whitaker earlier this month told the House Judiciary Committee that Trump never asked him to interfere in the Russia probe or any other investigation.
New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, the committee’s chairman, suggested after the hearing that Whitaker had not been truthful, and said the committee would issue a subpoena to grill him again under oath.
Asked at an unrelated White House event about the request to put Berman in charge, Trump replied: “No, I don’t know who gave you that.”
A Justice Department spokeswoman told the paper that the White House had not asked Whitaker to interfere in the investigations.
“Under oath to the House Judiciary Committee, then-Acting Attorney General Whitaker stated that ‘at no time has the White House asked for nor have I provided any promises or commitments concerning the special counsel’s investigation or any other investigation,’ ” said the spokeswoman, Kerri Kupec. “Mr. Whitaker stands by his testimony.”