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Matthew Whitaker, 49, is the nation's acting attorney general following the forced resignation of Jeff Sessions.
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National briefs: Acting AG said to have no plans to recuse himself from Russia probe

@MattWhitaker46/Twitter

National briefs: Acting AG said to have no plans to recuse himself from Russia probe

Plus: Trump goes to Supreme Court for formal Kavanaugh investiture; and Michelle Obama rips president in new book.

WASHINGTON - Acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker has no intention of recusing himself from overseeing the special-counsel probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to people close to him who added they do not believe he would approve any subpoena of President Donald Trump as part of that investigation.

Since stepping into his new role Wednesday, Whitaker has faced questions - principally from Democrats - about whether he should recuse himself from the Russia investigation, given that he has written opinion pieces about the investigation and is a friend and political ally of a grand jury witness.

On Thursday, two people close to Whitaker said he does not plan to take himself off the Russia case. They also said he is deeply skeptical of any effort to force the president’s testimony through a subpoena.

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Special counsel Robert Mueller III has been negotiating for months with Trump’s attorneys over the terms of a possible interview of the president. Central to those discussions has been the idea that Mueller could, if negotiations failed, subpoena the president. If Whitaker were to take the threat of a subpoena off the table, that could alter the equilibrium between the two sides and significantly reduce the chances that the president ever sits for an interview.

At the Justice Department, ethics officials typically review the past work of senior leaders to see whether they have any financial or personal conflicts that would preclude them from overseeing particular cases.

In the past, senior Justice Department officials have tended to follow such advice, but they are rarely required to do so, according to officials familiar with the process.

Trump goes to Supreme Court for formal Kavanaugh investiture

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WASHINGTON - Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s formal investiture at the Supreme Court on Thursday was filled with pomp and tradition - but only about five minutes’ worth.

With President Donald Trump and the first lady in the front row of the historic courtroom, the justices received Justice Kavanaugh’s formal commission from the president, and the newest justice took the oath of office once again.

Justice Kavanaugh was sworn in the day he was confirmed by the Senate, Oct. 6, and a couple of days later had a public ceremony at the White House. He’s been on the bench for more than a month, and Thursday’s formal investiture served as more of a party for friends and relatives. The courtroom was filled with politicians and former co-workers from the George W. Bush White House.

It is an event at which the president is seen but not heard.

In a reminder of the controversy surrounding Justice Kavanaugh’s nomination, he skipped the traditional walk down the Supreme Court steps with the chief justice, where new members for decades have had their photos taken by a waiting throng of news photographers. A court spokeswoman cited security concerns.

Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker performed what may have been his first public act in the position by presenting Justice Kavanaugh to the court. But his commission, read by the clerk of the Supreme Court, Scott Harris, was signed by Jeff Sessions, the attorney general forced out by Mr. Trump just a day earlier.

Michelle Obama rips president in new book

WASHINGTON — Former first lady Michelle Obama blasts President Donald Trump in her new book, recalling how she reacted in shock the night she learned he would replace her husband in the Oval Office and tried to “block it all out.”

In her memoir “Becoming,” set to come out Tuesday, Ms. Obama writes candidly about everything from being subjected to racist comments to early struggles in her marriage to Barack Obama as he began his political career and was often away.

She writes that they met with a counselor “a handful of times,” and she came to realize that she was more “in charge” of her happiness than she had realized. “This was my pivot point,” Ms. Obama explains. “My moment of self-arrest.”

Ms. Obama denounces Mr. Trump for bragging in 2005, on the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape, about sexually assaulting women. She also accuses him of using body language to “stalk” Hillary Clinton, his 2016 opponent, during an election debate. She writes of Mr. Trump following Ms. Clinton around the stage, standing nearby and “trying to diminish her presence.”

Mr. Trump’s message, according to Ms. Obama, in words which appear in the book in darkened print: “I can hurt you and get away with it.”

The Associated Press purchased an early copy of “Becoming,” one of the most anticipated political books in recent memory. Ms. Obama is admired worldwide and has offered few extensive comments on her White House years. And memoirs by former first ladies are usually best-sellers.

First Published: November 9, 2018, 5:40 a.m.

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Matthew Whitaker, 49, is the nation's acting attorney general following the forced resignation of Jeff Sessions.  (@MattWhitaker46/Twitter)
@MattWhitaker46/Twitter
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