Matthew Whitaker: Acting US Attorney General to appear before House Judiciary Committee after threats of subpoena

Acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker has agreed to testify to Congress next month.

House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, who had previously threated to issue a supeona if Mr Whitaker agree to appear, said in a letter to the Trump official that the hearing would take place on 8 February.

Mr Whitaker's public testimony will give House Democrats a chance to question the official about his views on the special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation and whether he has taken any action while overseeing the probe.

Mr Whitaker's ascent to the role of acting attorney general, having been picked by Donald Trump, caused constenation for many in Congress. Particularly as it came after the president forced out Mr Sessions having become frustrated at him recusing himself from overseeing the Mueller investigation.

Critics worried that Mr Whitaker, the former chief of staff to Jeff Sessions, had too many possible conflicts of interest to oversee the probe into Russian election meddling in 2016 and any possible collusion with the Trump campaign.

Not only does Mr Whitaker have a close relationship with the president, but he also has been sharply critical of the Mueller investigation in the past. He has hit out at the scope of the investigation and has previously suggested in opinion pieces written for outlets like CNN that the way to curb that would be to cut fuding to the probe.

Indeed, an ethics official in the Justice Department suggested that Mr Whitaker should recuse himself because “a reasonable person with knowledge of the relevant facts” would question his impartiality over statements to the press.

Mr Whitaker rejected that advice because the ethics lawyers could not find an example of other attorneys general who had recused themselves based on statements to news outlets, and he did not want to be the first. That was according to a letter sent fromt he Justice Department to the two party leaders in the Seante, Demorat Chuck Schumer and Republican Mitch McConnell.

“It’s crystal clear that Department of Justice ethics officials believe Mr Whitaker should recuse himself from supervision of the special counsel’s investigation,” Mr. Schumer said at the time. “Mr Whitaker’s refusal to recuse is an attack on the rule of law and the American justice system, but it is undoubtedly consistent with what President Trump wanted — an unethical yes man who will do his bidding rather than do what’s right.”

Mr Whitaker's testimony to Congress will set up a blockbuster couple of days in the House, with it coming a day after former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen testifies before the House Oversight Committee.

The two days will be the first major oversight hearings for the two committees since the Democrats took over the majority in the House.

Mr Trump has nominated former attorney general William Barr for the permanent job, which was vacated by Jeff Sessions last year. A Senate vote to confirm Mr Barr could come as soon as next week, but Mr Whitaker will still appear infront of Congress.

“As we have discussed and I have informed your staff, I expect you to appear... whether or not the current lapse in appropriations has been resolved, and whether or not the Senate has confirmed a new Attorney General,” Mr Nadler wrote.