WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker will decline to testify before a House of Representatives committee on Friday if Democrats issue a subpoena, the Justice Department said on Thursday.

House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerrold Nadler said he fears Whitaker could dodge questions about Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian links to Trump's 2016 election campaign or his communications with the White House.

The panel voted along party lines to authorize a subpoena in case Whitaker fails to show up or declines to answer certain questions.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Lisa Lambert; editing by Grant McCool)