Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker climbs the steps of Air Force One to depart with President Donald Trump for travel to Kansas City, Missouri from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., December 7, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker will not recuse himself from overseeing the investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election despite being advised by Justice Department ethics experts to do so, a department source said on Thursday.

Justice Department ethics officials had recommended that Whitaker, who made comments critical of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe before taking office, should not supervise the investigation, the source said.