Matthew Whitaker
Matthew Whitaker was named acting US Attorney General in November of 2018 following Jeff Sessions's resignation at the request of President Donald Trump.[1]
Whitaker, who previously served as Session's chief of staff, was selected instead of deputy AG Rod Rosenstein, the No. 2 at the Department of Justice. Sessions had recused himself from the Special Counsel Russian election interference investigation, while Whitaker has been "a vocal and unabashed critic" of that probe.[2]
Prior to his time at the Department of Justice, Whitaker spent time as a college football player, Republican politician, lawyer, Former US Attorney, "Trump defender" on CNN[3] and executive director of The Foundation for Accountability & Civic Trust (FACT). Whitaker was paid $1.2 million for his time at FACT, "a sizable chunk" of the organization's revenue, much of which was from DonorsTrust according to the Associated Press.[4]
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Time as Executive Director of FACT
Thirty percent of FACT's cumulative income between 2014 and 2017 went to Whitaker. In 2015, Whitaker's $252,000 salary was half of FACT's total revenue. His pay grew over his time there, increasing from $63,000 in 2014 to $502,000 in 2017. FACT's revenue -- and Whitaker's pay by association -- came "mainly" from DonorsTrust.[4] DonorsTrust is "donor-advised fund" that creates separate accounts for individual donors, and the donors then recommend disbursements from the accounts to different non-profits. They cloak the identity of the original mystery donors because the funds are then distributed in the name of the fund. DonorsTrust is associated with the Koch Brothers.
| Koch Wiki |
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The Koch brothers -- David and Charles -- are the right-wing billionaire co-owners of Koch Industries. As two of the richest people in the world, they are key funders of the right-wing infrastructure, including the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the State Policy Network (SPN). In SourceWatch, key articles on the Kochs include: Koch Brothers, Koch Industries, Americans for Prosperity, American Encore, and Freedom Partners. |
World Patent Marketing Controversy
Whitaker sat on the advisory board of World Patent Marketing, a Florida-based marketing firm that claimed to help inventors navigate patents and sell their product. Reportedly, World Patent Marketing made $26 million as it “simply took cash without ever meeting or reviewing any pitches.”[3] Whitaker praised the organization, saying in a press release “As a former US Attorney, I would only align myself with a first-class organization.” He appeared on its website and was paid over nine thousand dollars to serve on the company's board.[5] The Federal Trade Commission forced World Patent Marketing to shut down and the Federal Bureau of Investigations is conducting a criminal investigation into the company for "scamming millions from customers during the period that Matthew Whitaker" served a paid advisory-board member.[5]
Questionable Legality of Appointment
President Trump made Whitaker acting attorney general via the Vacancies Reform Act. Legal experts have questioned this move on constitutional and statutory bases.[3]
References
- ↑ BILL HUTCHINSON What we know about Matthew Whitaker, the man now in charge of the Mueller probe after Jeff Sessions' ouster ABC News Nov. 7 2018
- ↑ Jen Kirby A brief guide to the legal challenges against acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker VoxDec. 6
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Andrew Prokop The many scandals of Trump’s new acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker, explained Vox Nov 14, 2018
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 MICHAEL BALSAMO and CHAD DAY Right-leaning nonprofit paid Whitaker more than $1.2 million Associated Press Nov 21. 2018
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Mark Maremont and James V. Grimaldi FBI Is Investigating Florida Company Where Whitaker Was Advisory-Board Member The Wall Street Journal Nov. 9 2018
