Whitaker has NOT left the DOJ. Still there, different title, as Trump's eyes and ears

[highplainsdem]

Found this thread from journalist Del Quentin Wilber thanks to a tweet from Matthew Miller. Wilber's thread starts here:

Link to tweet

FMR Acting AG Matthew Whitaker has NOT left the building. He is serving as a senior counselor in the office of Associate AG. There is no associate AG or acting associate AG. Principal Deputy Associate AG Jesse Panuccio remains in his post. He had served as acting associate AG.


Panuccio's term as acting associate AG ran out after 210 days as prescribed by the Vacancies Reform Act. He had taken over from Rachel Brand, who abruptly quit to take a job at Walmart almost exactly a year ago. No word on a nominee for that slot.


.@sgurman & @aviswanatha of WSJ's Justice League reported last June that White House had paused search for a new associate b/c admin could find no takers for what otherwise is a prestigious Washington doj assignment:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-administration-sidelines-effort-to-appoint-justice-department-no-3-1528208396


Attribution about Whitaker's continuing role is DOJ officials. FWIW.

Miller's comment on this:

Link to tweet

As has been reported, he is Trump's eyes and ears inside the building. There was no way he was going to let him either leave or be pushed out by Barr.

[highplainsdem]

1. Joyce White Vance comment on this, and response from Matthew Miller:

Link to tweet

Subtext: Whitaker can’t find a job outside of DOJ & can’t get confirmed for a senior position within it. He becomes counselor to the empty Associate AG spot vacated when Rachel Brand left in February 2018.

Miller:

Link to tweet

the q for me is whether Rod stays long enough for Barr's DAG choice to be confirmed. Because if not, you know Trump will want to make Whitaker acting DAG. Which I assume Barr would resist, but it's not his call.

[dixiegrrrrl]

10. In the old days, the mob called that featherbedding.

As seen most recently in the Sopranos.In fact. Whitaker does not even have to show up for work, he can just collect the check, much as Omarosa was reputed to have done.

[dalton99a]

11. +1

[Grasswire2]

2. you beat me by two minutes, so I deleted my similar thread to kick this one.

Pretty important news!

Someone on twitter is wondering if Jeff Sessions is also hiding in a non-job at DoJ

[spanone]

3. He's trumps new Devin Nunes...traitor to america, confidant of president

[cutroot]

4. He knows too much to be allowed out.

[Grasswire2]

8. excellent point nt

[Blue Owl]

5. And they still share a mutual love of toilets

n/t

[Faux pas]

6. I'm expecting some kind of

super sneaky slight of hand hat trick where he ends up being deputy attorney general.

[duforsure]

7. He will end up in prison before its all over

From lying to Congress. That'll make 2 of them going , him and Sessions, and we'll see if Barr's next.

[GoCubsGo]

9. Well, it's not like they aren't already onto him.

Hopefully, they will handle him accordingly.