Politics briefly
Matthew Whitaker's elevation to acting attorney general does not affect special counsel Robert Mueller's eligibility to lead the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election, Mueller's team said in a court filing Monday. The special counsel's office was responding to an inquiry from the D.C. Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in a case brought by Andrew Miller, an associate of Roger Stone, a longtime adviser to President Donald Trump. The case challenges the constitutionality of Mueller's position and centers on who is doing what job at the Justice Department and oversight of the 18-month investigation.
President Trump has ignited a firestorm of criticism and charges that he is politicizing the military by faulting a war hero for not capturing al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden sooner. Trump took shots at retired Adm. William McRaven in a Fox News interview in which he also asserted that the former Navy SEAL and former commander of U.S. Special Operations Command was a "backer" of Hillary Clinton and supporter of President Barack Obama.
CNN dropped its lawsuit against the White House after officials told the network that they would restore reporter Jim Acosta's press credentials as long as he abides by a series of new rules at presidential news conferences, including asking just one question at a time. NEWS SERVICES
