Matthew Whitaker

For other people named Matthew Whitaker, see Matthew Whitaker (disambiguation).

Matthew George Whitaker (born October 29, 1969) is an American lawyer, lobbyist and politician who served as the acting United States Attorney General from November 7, 2018, to February 14, 2019. He was appointed to that position by President Donald Trump after Jeff Sessions resigned at Trump's request.^[2] Whitaker had previously served as Chief of Staff to Sessions from October 2017 to November 2018.^[3]

Matthew Whitaker
Acting United States Attorney General
In office November 7, 2018 – February 14, 2019
President	Donald Trump
[[Deputy Acting United States Attorney General|Deputy]]	Rod Rosenstein
Preceded by	Jeff Sessions
Succeeded by	William Barr
United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa
In office June 15, 2004 – November 25, 2009
President	George W. Bush Barack Obama
Preceded by	Stephen Patrick O'Meara
Succeeded by	Nicholas A. Klinefeldt
Personal details
Born	Matthew George Whitaker (1969-10-29) October 29, 1969 (age 54) Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Marci Whitaker^[1]
Children	3
Education	University of Iowa (BA, MBA, JD)

While attending the University of Iowa, Whitaker played tight end for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes football team, including in the 1991 Rose Bowl.

In 2002, Whitaker was the candidate of the Republican Party for Treasurer of Iowa. From 2004 to 2009, he served as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa, where he was known for aggressively prosecuting drug traffickers.^[4] Whitaker ran in the 2014 Iowa Republican primary for the United States Senate. He later wrote opinion pieces and appeared on talk-radio shows and cable news as the executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), a conservative advocacy group.

On December 7, 2018, Trump nominated William Barr for Attorney General.^[5] The legality of Whitaker's appointment as acting U.S. Attorney General was challenged in multiple lawsuits,^[6] and questioned by legal scholars, commentators, and politicians.^[7] On February 15, 2019, after Barr was sworn in on the previous day, Whitaker became a senior counselor in the Office of the Associate Attorney General; he resigned from the Justice Department on March 2, 2019.^[8][9][10] After leaving the Justice Department, Whitaker became a guest on news and analysis shows including as a CNN contributor, and was affiliated with the law firm of Graves Garrett. In August 2019, he became a managing director at Axiom Strategies and Clout Public Affairs.^[11]

Early life, education, and college football career

Matthew George Whitaker was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on October 29, 1969. He graduated from Ankeny High School, where he was a football star. He was inducted into the Iowa High School Football Hall of Fame in 2009.^[12][13][14] Whitaker attended the University of Iowa, receiving a bachelor's degree in communications in 1991 and Master of Business Administration and Juris Doctor degrees in 1995.^[15][16]

As an undergraduate between 1990 and 1992, Whitaker was the backup tight end for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes football team under coach Hayden Fry,^[4][17] including the 1991 Rose Bowl the Hawkeyes lost to the Washington Huskies.^[18][19] Whitaker played in 33 games, including two bowl games, and made 21 receptions for a total of 203 yards, scoring two touchdowns.^[20] In 1993, he received the Big Ten Medal of Honor for proficiency in scholarship and athletics awarded each year to one male and one female student-athlete at each Big Ten Conference school.^[17][21] Whitaker graduated from college in three-and-a-half years, and played his last season of football while attending law school.^[22][23]

Throughout his career, Whitaker had stated that he was an Academic All-American in college. A December 2018 investigation by The Wall Street Journal found that he was not. He was sponsor GTE's 1992 GTE District VII Academic All-District selection; an Iowa football guide erroneously referred to the honor as GTE District VII Academic All-American. A spokeswoman for College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) said CoSIDA was less formally organized in the 1990s and "We know that people over time use terms interchangeably and innocently."^[24]

Career

After graduating from law school, Whitaker lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 1995 to 2001, before moving back to Iowa.^[4][25]

Private practice and business and political activities (1995–2004)

Whitaker worked for a number of regional law firms, including Briggs & Morgan (Minneapolis) and Finley Alt Smith (Des Moines), and he was corporate counsel for national grocery store chain SuperValu in Minneapolis. He also owned or co-owned a trailer manufacturing company from 2002 to 2005 and a day-care center from 2003 to 2015.^[25][26][27] In 2003, Whitaker and a partner co-founded Buy the Yard Concrete, based at Whitaker's home in Urbandale, Iowa. In 2005, the company and Whitaker were sued in Nevada for $12,000 in unpaid rental fees for supplies and equipment related to a concrete project in Las Vegas. The lawsuit was settled out of court.^[25]

Whitaker ran as a Republican for Treasurer of Iowa in 2002, losing to incumbent Democrat Michael Fitzgerald by 55% to 43%.^[28]

United States Attorney

 

Whitaker's U.S. Attorney portrait

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley recommended Whitaker as one of three attorneys suggested to President George W. Bush for the position of United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa.^[4] In February 2004, Bush nominated Whitaker to the position,^[4] despite assertions that Whitaker lacked relevant legal experience.^[29] Senate Democrats objecting to Bush nominees held up the nomination for four months before Whitaker was confirmed on June 15, 2004.^[4]

In his first year in office, Whitaker issued a record 500 indictments, more than half of which were drug prosecutions, mainly related to trafficking of methamphetamine.^[4] In July 2005, Whitaker joined neighboring U.S. Attorneys Michael Heavican and Charles Larson Sr. in issuing a warning that persons crossing state lines to obtain pseudoephedrine, a methamphetamine ingredient, could be prosecuted in federal court.^[30] As U.S. Attorney, Whitaker sought stringent sentences for individuals charged with drug crimes. One case involved a woman who had two prior nonviolent drug convictions and was informed by Whitaker's office that, as a third-time offender, her sentence could be enhanced to a mandatory life sentence unless she agreed to a plea deal of 21 to 27 years in prison. She agreed to the plea bargain. Federal District Court Judge Robert W. Pratt said in 2016 that the prosecutors in the case had misused their authority, forcing him to impose a sentence "disproportionate to her crime," and urged President Obama to grant clemency. Obama commuted her sentence after she had served 11 years in prison.^[31]

Whitaker also served on a regional anti-terrorism task force, which examined both international and domestic threats,^[4] and focused on prosecuting child pornography and violent crimes against children.^[4] From 2005 to 2007, Whitaker's office, together with the FBI, investigated and unsuccessfully prosecuted Iowa State Senator Matt McCoy on charges of attempting to extort $2,000.^[32] A columnist for The Des Moines Register said that the case was based on "the word of a man former associates depicted as a drug user, a deadbeat and an abuser of women; a man so shady even his Alcoholics Anonymous sponsors called him 'a pathological liar.'"^[33][34] The jury reached a verdict of not guilty within two hours.^[35][36] In 2007, Whitaker also led the investigation of four executives of the Central Iowa Employment and Training Consortium (CIETC), a Des Moines-based job training agency, who were accused of collectively stealing more than $2 million from the agency over a three-year period.^[37] The alleged ringleader, CIETC CEO Ramona Cunningham, pleaded guilty on June 30, 2008.^[38]

Whitaker resigned in November 2009 following the Senate confirmation of his replacement, Nicholas A. Klinefeldt, who was nominated by President Obama.^[19][39]

Private practice and business and political activities (2009–2017)

From 2009 to 2017, Whitaker was a managing partner of the small general practice law firm Whitaker Hagenow & Gustoff LLP (later Hagenow & Gustoff LLP) in Des Moines.^[40]

In 2011, Whitaker applied for an appointment to the Iowa Supreme Court but was not among the finalists whose names were submitted to the governor for selection for one of the three open seats.^[41][42][43]

In 2011, he co-founded Whitaker Strategy Group, a lobbying and consulting firm.^[44]

In 2012, Whitaker and two partners invested, under a venture named MEM Investment, in the purchase and development of an affordable-housing apartment building in Des Moines.^[45] In 2014, Whitaker's partners left this partnership, and by spring of 2016, the company was unable to complete the renovations on time, and the city terminated the loan agreement. The building was then sold and completed by another contractor.^[46][47]

Whitaker was a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2014 United States Senate election in Iowa.^[48] He came in fourth in the Republican primary, with 11,909 votes (7.54%).^[49] Whitaker then chaired the campaign of Sam Clovis, another unsuccessful primary candidate who had been selected to run for Iowa State Treasurer.^[50] Clovis lost in the November 2014 general election.^[51][52][53]

World Patent Marketing

From 2014 to 2017, Whitaker served on the advisory board of World Patent Marketing (WPM), a Florida-based company billed as an invention promotion firm. According to an FBI investigation, the advisory board members never met.^[54][55] In a 2014 statement Whitaker publicly vouched for WPM, claiming they went "beyond making statements about doing business 'ethically' and translate[d] those words into action".^[56] The company contributed to Whitaker's 2014 U.S. Senate campaign,^[57] and over the three-year period from 2014 and 2017 paid Whitaker less than $17,000 for work performed.^[58] Some customers accused the company of using Whitaker's background as a U.S. Attorney to threaten them.^[56][59] In one 2015 email mentioning his background as a former federal prosecutor, Whitaker told a customer that filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau or "smearing" the company online could result in "serious civil and criminal consequences".^[60][61] The owner of Ripoff Report told The Wall Street Journal that Whitaker had called him in 2015 demanding his website take down negative reports about WPM, alleging, "He threatened to ruin my business if I didn't remove the reports. He [said he] would have the government shut me down under some homeland security law".^[62][63]

The company was later determined to have engaged in deceptive practices.^[64] In 2017, FTC investigators examined whether Whitaker had played any role in making threats of legal action to silence the company's critics. Whitaker rebuffed an FTC subpoena for records in October 2017, shortly after he had joined the Department of Justice.^[65] After Whitaker's appointment in the Department of Justice in September 2017, White House and senior Justice Department officials were reportedly surprised to learn of Whitaker's connection to the company.^[65] A spokesperson for Whitaker said that he was not aware of the company's fraud,^[56] and the court receiver in the case, Jonathan Perlman, stated he had "no reason to believe that [Whitaker] knew of any of the wrongdoing."^[65]

Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust

From October 2014 to September 2017, Whitaker was the executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT);^[66] he was the organization's only full-time employee in 2015 and 2016.^[67] FACT, founded in late 2014, is a conservative nonprofit organization specializing in legal and ethical issues related to politics.^[68][69] The group was backed by $1 million in seed money from conservative donors, whom Whitaker declined to identify to the media.^[70] According to the organization's first tax return, its funding – $600,000 in 2014 – came from a conservative donor-advised fund called Donors Trust, a pass-through vehicle that allows donors to remain anonymous.^[71] From its creation in 2014 through 2018, FACT reported contributions of $3.5 million on its tax filings; as a 501(c)(3) organization, it did not disclose its donors. The group's largest single expense was Whitaker's salary; Whitaker collected $1.2 million from the group over four years, making it the overwhelming source of his income from 2016 onward.^[72]

While Whitaker was the head of FACT, the organization had a special focus on the Hillary Clinton email controversy and perceived favoritism in the business dealings of Clinton.^[73] Despite claiming to be nonpartisan, the organization called for ethics investigations into or filed complaints for more than 40 different Democratic politicians, officials, and organizations, compared to only a few Republicans.^[74] FACT was characterized by CNN reporter Drew Griffin as using "the legal system as a political weapon",^[75] and it was reported that an unnamed source described as a "GOP operative" had characterized the organization as a "chop shop of fake ethics complaints".^[76] During his time at FACT, Whitaker wrote opinion pieces that appeared in USA Today and the Washington Examiner, and he appeared regularly on conservative talk-radio shows and cable news.^[77]

CNN contributor

For four months, from June to September 2017, Whitaker was a CNN contributor.^[78] One month prior to joining the Justice Department, he wrote an opinion column for CNN titled "Mueller's Investigation of Trump is Going Too Far".^[79] He retweeted a link to an article that stated that Mueller's investigation was a "lynch mob", that it should be limited, and that it should not probe into Trump's finances.^[80][81]

Trump administration

Department of Justice Chief of Staff

On September 22, 2017, a Justice Department official announced that Sessions was appointing Whitaker to replace Jody Hunt as his chief of staff.^[80][82] George J. Terwilliger III, a former U.S. attorney and deputy attorney general, said in his role as chief of staff, Whitaker would have dealt daily with making "substantive choices about what is important to bring to the AG".^[83] As Chief of Staff, Whitaker discussed with and transmitted to U.S. Attorney for Utah John W. Huber a letter from Sessions regarding investigating former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at Trump's request.^[84] While the Justice Department denied the letter existed in response to a FOIA request filed by watchdog group American Oversight, it later retracted the denial and made public an email from Whitaker to Huber about the investigation and attaching Sessions' letter.^[85]

Acting Attorney General

With the resignation of Sessions on November 7, 2018, Whitaker was appointed to serve as Acting Attorney General under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998.^[16][86] In that position, he directly supervised Robert Mueller's Special Counsel investigation, which had previously been supervised by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in his role as Acting Attorney General, due to the recusal of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.^[87]

 

Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Commerce and Federal Bureau of Investigation announces 23 criminal charges against China's Huawei and Meng Wanzhou.

In January 2019, Whitaker along with Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, and FBI Director Christopher A. Wray announced 23 criminal charges against Chinese technology giant Huawei and its CFO Meng Wanzhou, including financial fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the United States, theft of trade secret technology, providing bonuses to workers who stole confidential information from companies around the world, wire fraud, obstruction of justice and sanctions violations.^{[88][89][90][91]} In late 2018, he rejected a request from U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman to file criminal charges against Halkbank, the largest state-owned bank in Turkey, for an alleged multi-billion-dollar scheme to evade U.S. sanctions on Iran.^[92] On December 18, 2018, Whitaker signed the regulation that reclassified bump stocks as machine guns, rendering them illegal to possess under federal law.^[93][94] The four members of Trump's Federal Commission on School Safety were appointed in the wake of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre, with Whitaker replacing Sessions in November 2018. The commission's report issued in December 2018, called for improved mental health services, recommended that school systems consider arming teachers and other personnel; and advised against increasing the minimum age required for firearm purchases.^[95][96] One of the more controversial elements of the commission's report was a call to rescind a 2014 Education Department guidance document meant to reduce racial disparities in school discipline, and a criticism of the legal concept of disparate impact.^[96] The report called for improvements to mental health services,^[95][96] but did not propose federal funding or policy changes to deal with gaps in the mental health care system.^[96] The report did not recommend tighter laws to restrict access to guns, prompting criticism from the National Association of Secondary School Principals.^[95]

Whitaker also initiated implementation of the First Step Act.^[97]

Supervision of the Special Counsel investigation

In 2017, Whitaker had repeatedly criticized the Mueller investigation on television and on social media and stated that there was no collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. Justice Department ethics officials advised Whitaker that there was no financial, personal, or political conflict that would require him to recuse himself from supervision of the Russia investigation.^[98][99] They also said that it was a "close call" and his decision, but in their opinion he "should recuse himself because 'a reasonable person with knowledge of the relevant facts' would question his impartiality due to the statements he had made to the press." Whitaker decided not to recuse himself, not wanting to be the first attorney general "who had recused [himself] based on statements in the news media."^[99]

Democrats poised to assume chairmanships of key House committees in January 2019 warned the Justice Department and other departments to preserve records relating to the Mueller investigation and Sessions' firing. Republicans Senator Susan Collins, Senator Jeff Flake, and Senator-elect Mitt Romney, also issued statements insisting that Mueller's investigation must remain free from interference.^[100] In February 2019, Whitaker testified before Congress that he had not interfered in any way in the special counsel investigation,^[101] and in July 2019, Special Counsel Robert Mueller confirmed in his own testimony before Congress that there was no interference with the investigation.^[102]

Legality and constitutionality of the appointment

In a 2018 opinion, the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) said that the appointment was constitutional due to its temporary nature.^[103] The OLC noted that an assistant attorney general who was not confirmed by the Senate had been appointed as acting Attorney General in 1866, and that other individuals not confirmed by the Senate had served as principal officers in an acting capacity more than 160 times between 1809 and 1860, and at least nine times during the Trump, Obama, and Bush administrations.^[104]

A number of prominent legal experts, scholars, and former prosecutors and Department of Justice officials offered varying opinions over the legality and constitutionality of Whitaker's appointment.^[105] Stephen Vladeck, a law professor at University of Texas, argued that the appointment was permissible under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 and the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the 1898 case of United States v. Eaton, because it was temporary and because Sessions formally resigned.^[106] Lawyers Neal Katyal and George T. Conway III argued in a New York Times op-ed that the appointment was unconstitutional under the Appointments Clause, as the position of Attorney General is a "principal" one requiring Senate confirmation.^[107][108] Law professor John Yoo from Berkeley, who served as a deputy assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel in the George W. Bush administration, argued that the Appointments Clause renders the Federal Vacancies Reform Act unconstitutional and that Whitaker's appointment was in violation of that clause.^[109] John E. Bies, who served as a deputy assistant attorney general in the OLC in the Obama Administration, wrote that the legality and constitutionality of Whitaker's appointment was an open question. Bies also pointed out that it was a difficult argument to make that Sessions was fired instead of resigning since a court would probably not "look past an official's formal statement that they resigned".^[110]

Legal challenges

There were at least nine unsuccessful legal challenges to Whitaker's appointment.^[111] Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, representing the State of Maryland, filed for an injunction against Whitaker's appointment.^[112] Maryland had previously filed a suit against then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions regarding his inability to defend the Affordable Care Act in court as part of a broader hostility against the Obama-era law from the Trump administration.^{[113][114][115]} Maryland was expected to test the argument in court that Whitaker was unlawfully named acting Attorney General, and thus had no standing in the court or authority to respond to their lawsuit.^[116][117] Maryland argued that Whitaker's appointment violated the Constitution, which requires that principal officers of the United States be appointed "with the Advice and Consent of the Senate". Because Whitaker was not serving in a Senate-confirmed position when he was appointed,^[116] the state argued that the role of acting Attorney General rightfully belonged to Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein.^[118] Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander dismissed the case in February 2019.^[119] Two other federal district courts issued rulings holding that Whitaker had been properly appointed to the position.^[120][121]

Three Democratic senators – Richard Blumenthal, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Mazie Hirono – filed suit on November 18, 2018, in the D.C. District Court, saying the President violated the Constitution and denied the Senate its right to approve the nomination.^[122] Lawyers for Doug Haning, a former agricultural products executive, filed a motion on November 13, 2018, asking a federal court in St. Louis to rule that Whitaker's appointment as acting Attorney General was illegal and thus he had no standing to hear the case.^[123] South Texas College of Law professor Josh Blackman predicted a flood of similar motions.^[123] Attorney Tom Goldstein filed a motion with the U.S. Supreme Court on November 16, 2018 on behalf of a Nevada resident, asking the court to decide whether Rod Rosenstein was the statutory and constitutional successor to Sessions in a pending lawsuit, rather than Whitaker.^[124][125] The U.S. Supreme Court denied the motion on January 14, 2019.^[126]

Legal and policy views

Constitutional issues

Whitaker stated in a question-and-answer session during his 2014 Iowa Senatorial campaign that "the courts are supposed to be the inferior branch".^[127][128] Whitaker was critical of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Marbury v. Madison (1803), the decision that allows judicial review of the constitutionality of the acts of the other branches of government, and several other Supreme Court holdings. When Whitaker later became acting Attorney General four years later, Harvard Law School professor Laurence Tribe commented on Whitaker's views that "the overall picture he presents would have virtually no scholarly support", and that they would be "'destabilizing' to society if he used the power of the attorney general to advance them".^[127]

Whitaker also stated during his 2014 Senate bid that he would not support "secular" judges and that judges should "have a biblical view of justice". Asked if he meant Levitical or New Testament justice, he replied "I'm a New Testament".^[129] Although Whitaker never specifically commented on the ability of non-Christian judges to serve, Whitaker's answer was subsequently interpreted by various individuals and groups, including the Anti-Defamation League, to imply that he would disqualify non-Christian judges, and were condemned as unconstitutional. An ADL spokesperson said, "The notion that non-Christian judges are disqualified from service is patently wrong, and completely inconsistent with the U.S. Constitution, which explicitly bars any religious test for public office".^[130]

Whitaker stated in 2013 he supports the right of states to nullify federal laws.^[131]

Criticisms of 2017 Special Counsel investigation

During the months prior to joining the Justice Department as Jeff Sessions' chief of staff in September 2017, Whitaker made several statements critical of the Mueller investigation, of which he assumed oversight responsibility upon being appointed Acting Attorney General in November 2018. By July 2017, the Trump White House was interviewing Whitaker to join the Trump legal team.^[132] During a six-month span in 2017, Whitaker insisted that there was no obstruction of justice or collusion and criticized the initial appointment of the special counsel. He also called the probe "political"^[133] and "the left is trying to sow this theory that essentially Russians interfered with the U.S. election, which has been proven false".^[134] He also published an op-ed titled, "Mueller's Investigation of Trump Is Going Too Far"^[135] in which he expressed skepticism about the investigation generally and called the appointment of Mueller "ridiculous".^[134] He also retweeted a link to an article that referred to the investigation as a "lynch mob".^{[80][135][136]}

Relationship with Donald Trump

Trump saw Whitaker's supportive commentaries on CNN in the summer of 2017, and in July White House counsel Don McGahn interviewed Whitaker to join Trump's legal team as an "attack dog" against Robert Mueller, who was heading the Special Counsel investigation.^[132] Trump associates believe Whitaker was later hired to limit the fallout of the investigation, including by reining in any Mueller report and preventing Trump from being subpoenaed.^[132] On November 13, a DOJ spokesperson said that Whitaker would seek advice from ethics officials at the Department of Justice (DOJ) about whether a recusal from overseeing the Russia investigation was warranted.^[137]

In 2017, Vox writer Murray Waas, reported that an unnamed administration source claimed that Whitaker provided private advice to Trump on how the White House might pressure the Justice Department "to name a special counsel to investigate not only allegations of FBI wrongdoing but also Hillary Clinton".^[138] Leonard Leo of the Federalist Society recommended Whitaker to McGahn as chief of staff for Sessions, and Whitaker was installed into that role at the direction of the White House. An anonymous source claimed that Whitaker wanted to replace Sessions, without the latter's knowledge.^[139] By early September 2018, Whitaker was on the short list of President Trump's White House staff as the replacement for Don McGahn as the White House Counsel.^[140][141] In September 2018, White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly referred to Whitaker as the White House's "eyes and ears" in the Justice Department, which the president considered himself at war with.^[142]

Trump had spoken with Whitaker in September 2018 about potentially assuming Sessions's role as Attorney General, although it was not clear whether Whitaker would take over on an interim basis or be nominated in a more permanent capacity.^[143] At that time, The New York Times described Whitaker as a Trump loyalist who had frequently visited the Oval Office and as having "an easy chemistry" with Trump.^[142] Whitaker was referenced by White House staff after a New York Times article disclosed in September that Rod Rosenstein had discussed secretly taping his conversations with the president and talked about using the Twenty-fifth Amendment to remove Trump from office.^[135] Trump repeatedly stated on November 9, "I don't know Matt Whitaker", contradicting remarks a month prior on Fox & Friends when he said, "I can tell you Matt Whitaker's a great guy. I mean, I know Matt Whitaker".^{[144][145][146]}

In October 2019, after leaving the White House, Whitaker defended Trump amid the impeachment investigation into his conduct as president. Whitaker said there was no evidence of a crime by the President, and that "abuse of power is not a crime" in the Constitution.^[147]

Other policy issues

Whitaker's website previously stated that he was a "Christian who regularly attends church with his family, Matt has built a life on hard work and free enterprise"; and he stated in 2014 that "life begins at conception".^{[33][127][148]} In 2014, he advocated for reducing the influence of the government saying, "I know that the government forcing people to violate their faith must never be tolerated. In the Senate, I will be a steadfast protector of every American's religious rights".^[149] Whitaker claimed he was not a "climate change denier" but said that the evidence is "inconclusive" and indicated he did not support regulations on carbon emissions.^[127]

He has expressed a desire to get rid of family reunification and is against amnesty for illegal immigrants.^[127] In 2014, Whitaker represented a blogger who was fired from his job for describing homosexuality as "sinful." He argued the blogger had engaged in a legitimate expression of religious beliefs that should be considered protected speech, saying, "I just really think this case is a prime example of where religious freedom in our country is under assault and we need to send a strong message".^[150] Whitaker supported repealing the Affordable Care Act in his 2014 Senate campaign.^[135]

Electoral history

2002 Iowa State Treasurer

General election results^[151]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Michael Fitzgerald	534,714	54.77%
	Republican	Matthew Whitaker	421,574	43.18%
	Libertarian	Tim Hird	19,687	2.02%
	Republican	Write-ins	344	0.04%
Total votes			976,319	100.00%

2014 U.S. Senator for Iowa

Republican primary results^[152]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joni Ernst	88,535	56.12%
	Republican	Sam Clovis	28,418	18.01%
	Republican	Mark Jacobs	26,523	16.81%
	Republican	Matthew Whitaker	11,884	7.53%
	Republican	Scott Schaben	2,233	1.42%
	Republican	Write-ins	155	0.10%
Total votes			157,748	100.00%

Writings

• Above the Law: The Inside Story of How the Justice Department Tried to Subvert President Trump. Regnery Publishing. 2020. ISBN 978-1-68451-049-8.

See also

• Timeline of investigations into Trump and Russia (July–December 2018)

References

1. Maffucci, Samantha (February 8, 2019). "Who Is Matthew Whitaker's Wife? New Details On Marci Whitaker". Tango. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
2. "Jeff Sessions forced out as attorney general". CBS News. November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
3. Samuelsohn, Darren; Oprysko, Caitlyn (November 7, 2018). "Sessions ousted". Politico. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
4. "Attorney Goes After Drug Traffickers", The Des Moines Register (March 28, 2005), p. 4B.
5. Petroski, William (December 7, 2018). "Iowa's Matt Whitaker's future in limbo as Trump's picks William Barr for attorney general". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
6. "After outcry over appointment, Trump's top law enforcer treading..." Reuters. December 16, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
7. The legality of Matthew Whitaker's appointment as Acting Attorney General has been disputed by several constitutional scholars. John E. Bies at the Lawfare blog discusses the question. In The New York Times, constitutional scholars Neal Katyal and George T. Conway III assert it is unconstitutional, as does Mark Joseph Stern in Slate. Axios has a summary of the dispute, including a notable opinion from John Yoo who, despite previously endorsing expansive powers for the Presidency, regards the appointment as unconstitutional.
8. "Ex-acting AG Matthew Whitaker leaves Justice Department". ABC News. March 3, 2019. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
9. Wilber, Del Quentin (March 4, 2019). "Matthew Whitaker, former acting attorney general, leaves Justice Department". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
10. Lynch, Sarah N. (March 4, 2019). "Whitaker, former acting U.S. attorney general, leaves Justice Dept". Reuters.
11. Jacobs, Jennifer (August 1, 2019). "Trump's Former Acting Attorney General Lands Political Consulting Job". Bloomberg LLP.
12. "IHSA Football Hall of Fame, Alphabetical, By School" (PDF). Iowa High School Athletic Association. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
13. "Matthew Whitaker: Trump defends acting attorney general amid protest". November 9, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
14. Petroski, William (September 27, 2018). "Matt Whitaker, Iowa attorney and ex-Hawkeye starter, seen as Trump favorite for key posts". The Des Moines Register.
15. D'Angelo, Bob (November 7, 2018). "Who is Matthew Whitaker, the acting U.S. Attorney General?". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
16. "Trump names Iowa native Matt Whitaker acting attorney general after Sessions resigns". The Des Moines Register. Associated Press. November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
17. Smith, Mitch (November 6, 2015). "Matt Whitaker". Hawkeye Nation. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
18. Hamilton, Andy (December 31, 2015). "A look back to Iowa's Rose Bowl history". HawkCentral. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
19. . Archived from the original on February 18, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
20. "Matt Whitaker". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
21. . Yumpu. Archived from the original on April 8, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
22. "Ex-Iowa football player Matthew Whitaker is U.S. Acting Attorney General". The Gazette. November 7, 2018.
23. Shanahan, Julie (December 4, 2018). "Key 1990 Iowa football moment reflects Matt Whitaker's jump to the White House". The Daily Iowan. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
24. "Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker Incorrectly Claims Academic All-American Honors". The Wall Street Journal. 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
25. Boburg, Sean (November 14, 2018). "Whitaker's unusual path to Justice Department included owning day-care center, trailer maker and concrete supplier". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
26. Foley, Ryan J. (November 27, 2018). "Inspections show concerns at Whitaker's former Iowa day care". Associated Press. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
27. . United States Attorney's Office, United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. Archived from the original on November 19, 2004.
28. "2002 State Treasurer General Election Results – Iowa". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. April 1, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
29. Kirchgaessner, Stephanie; Swaine, Jon (November 12, 2018). . The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 12, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
30. "U.S. Attorneys Warn Area Meth Dealers", Lincoln Journal Star (July 29, 2005). p. 2B.
31. Kranish, Michael. "As U.S. attorney, Whitaker sought longer-than-usual drug sentences". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
32. "I Was the Subject of a Political 'Witch Hunt.' Matt Whitaker Directed It". Politico Magazine. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
33. Basu, Rekha (December 21, 2007). "Why did Matthew Whitaker prosecute this openly gay state lawmaker?". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
34. Kranish, Michael (November 9, 2018). "Whitaker's term as U.S. attorney in Iowa draws scrutiny". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
35. Leip, David (December 14, 2007). "State Sen. McCoy not guilty of extortion". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
36. Griffin, Drew; Richards, Collette; DiCarlo, Patricia (November 10, 2018). . CNN. Archived from the original on November 10, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
37. Charlotte Eby, "Four Indicted in CIETC Scandal", Quad-City Times (Jan 17, 2007).
38. Clark Kauffman, "CIETC Ex-Chief Reaches Plea Deal", The Des Moines Register (July 1, 2008), p. 4.
39. . MainJustice.com. November 6, 2009. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
40. D'Angelo, Bob (November 7, 2018). "Who is Matthew Whitaker, the acting U.S. Attorney General?". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
41. Wilber, Del Quentin; Megerian, Chris (November 30, 2018). "Restless and ambitious, Matthew Whitaker repeatedly shifted course to advance his career. Now he heads the Justice Department". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
42. Patrice, Joe (November 21, 2018). "Matthew Whitaker Applied To Be A Judge With A Ridiculous Collection Of Nonsense And Football". Above the Law. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
43. "Matthew George Whitaker Personal Data Questionnaire for Iowa State Judicial Nominating Commission" (PDF). December 31, 2010. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
44. "Whitaker, Failor launch lobby firm". The Des Moines Register. October 12, 2011. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
45. Samuels, Brett (November 13, 2018). "Whitaker's past business dealings under scrutiny". TheHill. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
46. Foley, Ryan J.; Pitt, David (November 14, 2018). "Whitaker abandoned taxpayer-funded project in Iowa in 2016". Associated Press. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
47. "Des Moines City Council Communication – Office of the City Manager – Resolution Approving HOME Agreement, Mortgage, and Related Documents, and Subordination Agreement, with We Can Build It, LLC for the Renovation of 2714 Ingersoll Avenue" (PDF). City of Des Moines. August 22, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
48. "GOP's Matt Whitaker says he's running for U.S. Senate". Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
49. . Archived from the original on June 8, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
50. Obradovich, Kathie (June 30, 2014). "'Non-politician' Clovis drafted into new race". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
51. Bertrand, Natasha (November 7, 2018). "What Sessions's Resignation Means for Robert Mueller". The Atlantic. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
52. "Top Trump campaign aide Clovis spoke to Mueller team, grand jury". NBC News. October 31, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
53. Kelly, Caroline; Stark, Liz. "Former Trump co-chairman on meeting FBI source: Like sitting in 'faculty lounge talking about research'". CNN. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
54. Patrice, Joe (November 9, 2018). "Revisiting World Patent Marketing: The Multimillion-Dollar Scam Matt Whitaker Was Neck Deep In". Above the Law.
55. Savage, Charlie; Goldman, Adam; Benner, Katie (November 30, 2018). "Whitaker's Ascent at Justice Dept. Surprised Investigators of Firm Accused of Fraud". The New York Times. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
56. Swaine, Jon (November 10, 2018). Trump's acting attorney general involved in firm that scammed veterans out of life savings The Guardian.
57. "Whitaker, acting U.S. attorney general, was on board of firm that threatened duped clients with 'Israeli Special Ops'". Haaretz. November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
58. Maremont, Mark (November 7, 2018). "Jeff Sessions' Successor Had Advised Company Accused of Scam". The Wall Street Journal.
59. Bronstein, Scott. . ABC News. Archived from the original on November 10, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
60. Shammas, Brittany (November 7, 2018). "Trump's Acting Attorney General Was Part of Miami-Based Invention Scam Company". Miami New Times. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
61. Goldman, Adam; Robles, Frances (November 8, 2018). "Acting Attorney General Sat on Board of Company Accused of Bilking Customers". The New York Times. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
62. Maremont, Mark; Grimaldi, James V. (November 14, 2018). "Whitaker Said to Angrily Demand Website Remove Posts About Patent Firm". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
63. . The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
64. Shammas, Brittany (August 22, 2017). "A Miami Beach Scam Took Millions of Dollars From Thousands of Inventors, Feds Say". Miami New Times. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
65. Leonnig, Carol D.; Helderman, Rosalind S. (November 9, 2018). "Federal investigators scrutinized Whitaker's role in patent company accused of fraud". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
66. Zeitlin, Matthew. "The New Acting Attorney General Was Previously a Dark Money–Funded Clinton Antagonist". Slate. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
67. Lanard, Noah (November 7, 2018). "Matthew Whitaker, the New Acting Attorney General, Was Obsessed With Clinton's Emails". Mother Jones. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
68. "Matthew Whitaker". Fox News. November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
69. "Conservative group calls for Grayson ethics probe". Politico. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
70. Gold, Matea (February 20, 2015). "Conservative watchdog group accuses Democrats of illegally coordinating through voter data firm". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
71. Novak, Viveca; Massoglia, Anna (April 15, 2016). "New nonprofit tied to stealthy circle of dark money groups". OpenSecrets.
72. Kenneth P. Vogel & Maggie Haberman (November 20, 2018). "Matthew Whitaker Earned $1.2 Million From Group Backed by Undisclosed Donors". The New York Times.
73. "Trump's new acting attorney general was obsessed with Clinton's emails". Mother Jones. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
74. Croucher, Shane (November 8, 2018). "Here's a list of Democrats acting AG Matt Whitaker wanted to investigate". Newsweek. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
75. . CNN. November 9, 2018. Archived from the original on November 14, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
76. Freedlander, David (November 9, 2018). "When Matthew Whitaker Ran 'a Chop Shop of Fake Ethics Complaints'". New York Magazine – Intelligencer. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
77. Woodruff, Betsy; Tani, Maxwell; Sommer, Will (November 8, 2018). "Matthew Whitaker, Mueller's New Boss, Said There Was 'No Collusion' With Russia". The Daily Beast. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
78. "Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker Was a CNN Contributor". The Hollywood Reporter. November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
79. Whitaker, Matthew (August 6, 2017). "Mueller's investigation of Trump is going too far". CNN. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
80. Reilly, Ryan J. (September 22, 2017). "Jeff Sessions' New Chief of Staff: Mueller's Russia Probe Could Be A 'Witch Hunt'". HuffPost. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
81. "Matthew Whitaker Takes His Twitter Account Private, After His Tweet About the 'Mueller Lynch Mob' Reveals Conflicts". Fortune. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
82. "Matt Whitaker Named AG's Chief of Staff". National Association of Former United States Attorneys. October 11, 2017.
83. Jansen, Bart (November 7, 2018). "Who is Matthew Whitaker? Hawkeye football star and federal prosecutor becomes acting attorney general". USA Today. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
84. Lafond, Nicole (March 11, 2019). "Despite DOJ Denials, Sessions Wrote Letter Ordering Review Of Clinton Probe". Talking Points Memo. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
85. Swan, Betsy (March 9, 2019). "It Exists: DOJ Finds Letter Ordering Scrutiny of Uranium One, Hillary Clinton". The Daily Beast. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
86. "Trump fires Jeff Sessions, names Matthew Whitaker as interim attorney general". USA Today. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
87. Folley, Aris (November 22, 2018). "Trump says he's thankful for making a 'tremendous difference in this country'". The Hill.
88. . United States Department of Justice. January 28, 2019. Archived from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
89. "Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker Announces National Security-Related Criminal Charges Against Chinese Telecommunications Conglomerate Huawei". United States Department of Justice. January 28, 2019.
90. "Chinese Telecommunications Device Manufacturer and its U.S. Affiliate Indicted for Theft of Trade Secrets, Wire Fraud, and Obstruction Of Justice". United States Department of Justice. January 28, 2019.
91. "Chinese Telecommunications Conglomerate Huawei and Huawei CFO Wanzhou Meng Charged With Financial Fraud". United States Department of Justice. January 28, 2019.
92. Lipton, Eric; Weiser, Benjamin (October 29, 2020). "Turkish Bank Case Showed Erdogan's Influence With Trump". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
93. Balsamo, Michael (December 18, 2018). "Trump administration moves to ban bump stocks". Associated Press.
94. Fink, Jenni (March 26, 2019). "Bump Stock Ban: What Does a Bump Stock Look Like? What Happens to Bump Stocks Turned Into the ATF?". Newsweek.
95. Laura Meckle (December 18, 2018). "Trump's safety panel recommends schools consider arming personnel". The Washington Post.
96. Rogers, Katie; Green, Erica L. (December 18, 2018). "Trump Administration Report on School Safety Plays Down Role of Guns". The New York Times.
97. Benner, Katie; Fandos, Nicholas; Savage, Charlie (February 8, 2019). "Matthew Whitaker Hearing Updates: He Declines to Defend the Russia Inquiry". The New York Times.
98. Luca, Ryan (December 21, 2018). "Acting Attorney General Whitaker Won't Recuse Himself From Mueller Inquiry". NPR. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
99. Goldman, Adam; Wong, Edward (November 7, 2018). "Trump Installs a Critic of the Mueller Investigation to Oversee It". The New York Times. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
100. "Trump's interim pick to lead Justice Department faces scrutiny over criticisms of Mueller inquiry". USA Today. November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
101. Johnson, Kevin; Jansen, Bart (February 8, 2019). "Acting AG Whitaker testifies: 'I have not interfered in any way' with Russia probe". USA Today.
102. Kirby, Jen (July 24, 2019). "Why Mueller saying his probe wasn't "curtailed" has nothing to do with obstruction". Vox.
103. Tucker, Eric (November 14, 2018). "Justice legal opinion backs Whitaker's naming as acting AG". Associated Press. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
104. Jarrett, Laura (November 14, 2018). "DOJ says Whitaker's appointment as acting attorney general is constitutional". CNN. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
105. "Why Trump could face legal challenges over Whitaker". Axios. November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
106. Vladeck, Stephen I. (November 9, 2018). "Whitaker May Be a Bad Choice, but He's a Legal One". The New York Times. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
107. Katyal, Neal K., and Conway III, George T. (November 8, 2018). "Trump's Appointment of the Acting Attorney General Is Unconstitutional". The New York Times. Retrieved November 9, 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
108. Rudalevige, Andrew (November 10, 2018). "No one is surprised that Jeff Sessions is out. But is his replacement's appointment unconstitutional?". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 10, 2018. But Conway's pedigree is quite different. While he has recently become a public critic of Trump, in the 1990s Conway helped with the Paula Jones case that helped lead to Bill Clinton's impeachment; he is married to high-ranking Trump staffer Kellyanne Conway; and he was seriously considered for the role of Trump's solicitor general.
109. Yoo, John (November 13, 2018). "Whitaker's Appointment as Acting Attorney General Is Unconstitutional". The Atlantic. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
110. Bies, John E. Matthew Whitaker's Appointment as Acting Attorney General: Three Lingering Questions, Lawfare, November 8, 2018.
111. "After outcry over appointment, Trump's top law enforcer treading..." Reuters. December 16, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2019 – via www.reuters.com.
112. Gurman, Sadie (November 13, 2018). "Maryland Files Challenge to Matthew Whitaker's Installation as Acting Attorney General". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
113. McFadden, David. . baltimoresun.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
114. "The Health 202: Maryland lawsuit aims to uphold ACA's constitutionality". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
115. "Press Release – Attorney General Frosh Files Lawsuit to Protect Marylanders from the Trump Administration's Sabotage of the Affordable Care Act" (PDF). Retrieved November 30, 2018.
116. "Maryland Says Matthew Whitaker Appointment As Acting Attorney General Is Unlawful". NPR.org. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
117. "Appointment of acting attorney general challenged in court". AP News. November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
118. Savage, Charlie (November 13, 2018). "Whitaker's Appointment as Acting Attorney General Faces Court Challenge". The New York Times. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
119. Kendall, Brent (February 1, 2019). "Judge Dismisses Maryland Lawsuit Challenging Trump on Health-Law Enforcement, Whitaker Appointment". The Wall Street Journal.
120. United States v. Valencia, No. 5:17-CR-882-DAE, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 200564, 2018 WL 6182755 (W.D. Tex. Nov. 27, 2018).
121. United States v. Penn, No. 16cr1695-BEN (S.D. Cal. Dec. 17, 2018).
122. "Senate Democrats file lawsuit against Matthew Whitaker's appointment". The Guardian. November 19, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2019 – via www.theguardian.com.
123. Gerstein, Josh (November 15, 2018). "Texas businessman challenges acting AG's legality". Politico. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
124. "Supreme Court asked to rule on Trump's choice of Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general". USA Today. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
125. "Matt Whitaker's appointment as acting attorney general challenged in Supreme Court". NBC News. November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
126. Williams, Pete (January 15, 2019). "Supreme Court rejects challenge to Matt Whitaker's appointment as acting attorney general". NBC News. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
127. Savage, Charlie (November 8, 2018). "Acting Attorney General Matthew G. Whitaker Once Criticized Supreme Court's Power". The New York Times. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
128. Hall, Jacob (May 21, 2014). "Iowa U.S. Senate Candidate Profile: Q&A with Matt Whitaker". Retrieved November 9, 2018.
129. Kranish, Michael; Barnes, Robert (November 9, 2018). "As a Senate candidate, Whitaker said he could not support 'secular' judicial nominees and that courts should be 'inferior branch'". The Washington Post.
130. "Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker once said Jews, Muslims and Atheists should not be federal judges". Newsweek. November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
131. Kaczynski, Andrew (November 10, 2018). "Whitaker said he supports state's rights to nullify federal law". CNN. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
132. Goldman, Adam; Shear, Michael D.; Smith, Mitch (November 9, 2018). "Matthew Whitaker: An Attack Dog With Ambition Beyond Protecting Trump". The New York Times. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
133. Woodruff, Betsy; Tani, Maxwell; Sommer, Will (November 8, 2018). "Matthew Whitaker, Mueller's New Boss, Said There Was 'No Collusion' With Russia". The Daily Beast. Retrieved November 12, 2018 – via www.thedailybeast.com.
134. Rieger, JM (November 9, 2018). "Trump's new acting attorney general has long criticized the Russia probe". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
135. Goldman, Adam; Wong, Edward (November 8, 2018). "Trump Installs a Critic of the Mueller Investigation to Oversee It". The New York Times. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
136. "Acting AG in 2017: 'No collusion' between Russia and Trump campaign". Politico. November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
137. Sheth, Sonam (November 13, 2018). "Acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker will consult with DOJ ethics officials about whether he should recuse himself from the Russia probe". Business Insider Australia. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
138. Waas, Murray (November 9, 2018). "Exclusive: Trump loyalist Matthew Whitaker was counseling the White House on investigating Clinton". Vox. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
139. Perez, Evan; et al. (November 9, 2018). "Sessions realized too late that Whitaker was auditioning for his job". CNN. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
140. Price, Dave (September 9, 2018). "Report: Former Iowa Hawkeye Tight End Might Be President Trump's Next Lawyer". WHO TV. Des Moines. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
141. Swan, Jonathan (September 9, 2018). "Scoop: Inside Trump's biggest hire". Axios. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
142. Benner, Katie; Haberman, Maggie (September 26, 2018). "Matthew Whitaker, a Trump Loyalist, Is Seen as Ascendant Amid Rosenstein Chaos". The New York Times. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
143. Zapotosky, Matt; Dawsey, Josh (October 11, 2018). "Trump talked with Jeff Sessions's own chief of staff about replacing him as attorney general". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
144. Schreiner, Bruce (November 10, 2018). "Thin ice for new acting AG? Trump says 'I don't know' him". Associated Press. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
145. Sullivan, Eileen; Benner, Katie (November 9, 2018). . The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
146. Wagner, John (November 9, 2018). "Trump claims he doesn't know his new acting attorney general. A month ago he said he did". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
147. "Trump's former acting attorney general tells Fox "abuse of power is not a crime"". Axios. October 23, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
148. "Matthew Whitaker on Principles & Values". www.ontheissues.org. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
149. "Iowa's U.S. Senate seat: Matt Whitaker, Republican". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
150. "Fired newspaper editor who blogged about gays' 'sinful nature' files lawsuit". LGBTQ Nation. Associated Press. July 24, 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
151. "State of Iowa Canvass Summary – Election: 2002 General Election (11/5/2002)" (PDF). December 2, 2002. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
152. "2014 Primary Election Canvass Summary" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. Des Moines, Iowa: State of Iowa. Retrieved November 9, 2018.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Matthew Whitaker.

• Matthew Whitaker for Treasurer (2002) and U.S. Senate (2014)
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Appearances on C-SPAN

Party political offices
Preceded by Joan F. Bolin	Republican nominee for Treasurer of Iowa 2002	Vacant Title next held by David Jamison
Legal offices
Preceded by Stephen Patrick O'Meara	United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa 2004–2009	Succeeded by Nicholas A. Klinefeldt
Preceded by Jeff Sessions	United States Attorney General Acting 2018–2019	Succeeded by William Barr