A spokeswoman for Goodlatte had no comment on the letter. Mueller is investigating Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 election and any collusion by Trump's campaign. Trump, who denies any collusion, has long complained about the probe, calling it a witch hunt. He had frequently publicly castigated Sessions for recusing himself last year from the case. Acting US Attorney-General Matt Whitaker doesn't plan on recusing himself. Credit:AP Trump named Sessions' chief of staff, Matthew Whitaker, as acting attorney general, saying he would soon nominate a permanent replacement for review by the Senate. That drew criticism from Democrats because Whitaker, who would now take over responsibility for overseeing Mueller and his investigation, has been critical of the Mueller probe, saying it should be scaled back.

Separately, House Judiciary Democrats called on Whitaker in a letter to recuse himself and keep the Mueller investigation under the supervision of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, a career Justice Department official who has given the special counsel full scope to pursue leads. Rosenstein had the role of supervising the probe because of Sessions' recusal. Representative Jerrold Nadler, right. Credit:AP Whitaker has no intention of recusing himself from overseeing the Mueller probe, the Washington Post reported. Reuters was not able to confirm the report. The Democrats said they also want the Justice Department to protect the integrity of Mueller's investigation and to preserve relevant documents. "The forced firing of Attorney General Sessions appears to be part of an ongoing pattern of behavior by the president seeking to undermine (the) investigation into Russian interference," said the letter to Goodlatte, written by Representative Jerrold Nadler, the committee’s top Democrat, and 16 other Democrats who sit on the panel.

Nadler is expected to become House Judiciary chairman when a Democratic House majority, elected in Tuesday’s midterm elections, takes over in the new Congress that convenes in January. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video "The president's actions have plunged the country into peril," the Democrats added. "By forcing the firing (of) the attorney general, the president now threatens the rule of law itself." On Wednesday, Goodlatte issued a statement praising Sessions' service as attorney general and wishing Whitaker well in his new role. Bipartisan bills to protect Mueller from politically motivated removal have been introduced in the House and Senate. One was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in April, making it eligible for a full Senate vote. But no action is expected.