Former acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, a Trump loyalist, is staying at the Justice Department.

Whitaker will be a senior counselor in the office of the associate attorney general at least on a short-term basis, spokeswoman Kerri Kupec told Bloomberg on Friday.

He had led the department since November, when Jeff Sessions was forced to resign from the top spot after months of attacks from President Trump over his recusal in the Russia investigation. Whitaker had served as chief of staff to Sessions until he stepped into his former boss’s role.

Whitaker’s appointment drew backlash from Democrats, who worried he would seek to shut down special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible links to the Trump campaign. Whitaker, who oversaw the probe as acting attorney general, had been critical of the investigation.

William Barr was confirmed as attorney general Thursday, giving him oversight of Mueller’s team.