Washington—Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today called on Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) to quickly call committee hearings with Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker and fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Full text of the letter calling for a committee hearing with Whitaker is available here.

In that letter, Feinstein wrote: “The circumstances surrounding Attorney General Sessions’ departure raise serious questions, including whether the appointment is lawful and the possible impact on Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation.”

The Whitaker letter continued: “As you have stated previously, you ‘have confidence in Mueller, the president ought to have confidence in Mueller.’ I agree and believe it is critically important to have Mr. Whitaker before the Committee to ensure that he will take no action to restrict or otherwise interfere with the Special Counsel’s work.”

Full text of the letter calling for a committee hearing with Sessions is available here.

In that letter, Feinstein wrote: “This letter requests a hearing with former Attorney General Sessions, whose abrupt departure from the Justice Department puts Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation at risk. As the Committee with primary jurisdiction over the Department of Justice, it is critically important that we understand why the Attorney General was forced out of his position.”

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