(CNN) Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker has agreed to testify before the House Judiciary Committee early next month, the panel's chairman Jerry Nadler announced Tuesday.

Whitaker's public testimony will give House Democrats a chance to question him about his views on special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, any actions he's taken related to the probe and his decision not to recuse from the special counsel investigation after Justice Department ethics officials recommended he do so. It also could put him in the hot seat before the President's permanent pick for attorney general, William Barr, can be confirmed by the Senate.

Nadler last week threatened to issue a subpoena to Whitaker for his testimony if he did not agree to appear in January, but the committee and Justice Department agreed he would voluntarily appear on February 8, Nadler said in a letter sent to Whitaker Tuesday.

The hearing is likely to be the first high-profile testimony for House Democrats in the Judiciary Committee, and it will come one day after former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen testifies before the House Oversight Committee.

It's not certain that Whitaker will still be in the role of acting attorney general when he testifies on Capitol Hill, though he will testify regardless of whether he is still acting attorney general — and regardless of whether the government is shut down.

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