Whitaker cleared by DOJ ethics officials to oversee Mueller

Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker has been cleared by ethics officials at the Justice Department to oversee Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, despite his earlier public criticism of the probe, according to a U.S. official.

Democrats have demanded that Whitaker step back from Mueller’s continuing investigation because he openly criticized the probe in interviews last year before he joined the Justice Department. But ethics officials advised Whitaker that he doesn’t need to recuse himself, the official said. The decision was reported earlier by CNN.