Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker is pictured in an undated photo obtained by Reuters November 8, 2018. Courtesy U.S. Department of Justice/via REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer on Friday questioned the legality of President Donald Trump’s appointment of Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general and sent the Republican president a list of questions about the move.

In appointing Whitaker, who has not been confirmed by the Senate, Schumer said, “President Trump has ignored the statutory line of succession and potentially violated the Appointments Clause of the Constitution, which requires all principal officers of the government to be nominated by the president by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.”