WASHINGTON: The US Justice Department on Monday defended President Donald Trump’s naming Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general without Senate confirmation, saying the appointment was legal based on “centuries of practice and precedent.”

Responding to a petition to the Supreme Court to declare Whitaker’s appointment illegal, department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said it is consistent with laws governing presidential appo­i­ntments of top-level officials and “comports with... actions of US presidents, both Rep­u­blican and Democrat.” Kup­ec’s statement following rising questions over whether Trump’s choice of Whitaker violated federal law, because Whitaker has not gone through the confirmation process required for cabinet officials and especially Justice Department chiefs.

Trump named the former prosecutor and television com­­mentator to be acting attorney general on Novem­ber 7 after forcing attorney general Jeff Sessions to resign.

Many analysts believe Whitaker was chosen to protect Trump from the Russia collusion investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who will now be under Whitaker’s control.

Sessions had recused himself from overseeing the Russia probe, handing the responsibility to Deputy Attorney general Rod Rosenstein.

Normally Rosenstein, who has gone through Senate confirmation, would have been made acting attorney general until a new nominee could be vetted.

Late on Friday lawyers peti­­t­ioning the Supreme Court to review their client’s lawsuit against the Justice Depart­ment — a case originally known as Michaels v. Sessions — asked the high court to rule on whether Whitaker can legally stand for the department in the case.

Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2018