Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump and White House officials are digging in on the appointment of Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general, which has drawn waves of criticism from Democrats and some conservative legal scholars.

The President also has no intention of rushing to nominate a permanent replacement for ousted Attorney General Jeff Sessions, resisting the pressure to minimize Whitaker's time at the helm of the Justice Department in an acting capacity, two senior administration officials told CNN.

Instead, Whitaker appears poised to remain in his position for weeks, if not months, to come.

"The President has told me to my face, two times, that there's no timetable for a nominee," one senior administration official said. "And there's no rush for that."

Key White House officials have remained privately indignant about the criticism that Whitaker has faced, with some likening it to the scrutiny White House physician Ronny Jackson drew after he was appointed to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Several senior administration officials told CNN during the initial criticism of Whitaker's appointment that they were surprised by it and believed it could jeopardize his chances of remaining in the position.

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