Whitaker told reporters he has been “fully briefed” on the investigation.
But Mueller has indicated that a grand jury’s work on the probe could continue. The special counsel’s federal grand jury, which began meeting in July 2017, was extended in January so it may continue to meet and vote on criminal indictments for up to six more months.
Flynn, former Trump attorney Michael Cohen and campaign adviser George Papadopoulos have also pleaded guilty to charges from the special counsel’s office.
Some Democrats unnerved
Whitaker also rattled some Democrats when he said decisions made by Mueller’s office are going to be reviewed by the Department of Justice.
“I am comfortable that the decisions that were made are going to be reviewed through the various means we have,” Whitaker said.
Some congressional Democrats expressed concern over those comments in interviews with CNN Monday afternoon.
Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat who’s a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that it’s “chilling” to hear Whitaker’s comments.
“I don’t have full confidence that acting Attorney General Whitaker intends to respect the independence of the special counsel and simply support and sustain the decisions he’s made and simply release the report in full,” Coons added.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said, “He should not be a censor; it should stand on what Mueller and his group found.”
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat who’s another member of that committee, downplayed Whitaker’s comments, saying he takes anything the acting attorney general says with a “giant iceberg worth of salt.”
House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, said he thinks that Whitaker, or anyone else in the Department of Justice, should not have a say in what’s in Mueller’s report.
“The special counsel should speak for the special counsel’s investigation,” he said.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat of Rhode Island, had harsh words for Whitaker.
“I’m not thrilled he’s been fully briefed because I don’t think he’s independent or reliable,” Whitehouse said.
He added that he’s “not convinced” the probe is nearly completed. He said he thinks Whitaker may simply be delivering “administration talking points.”
This story has been updated.
CNN’s Evan Perez contributed to this report.
Source : Nbcnewyork