U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden Joins in Portland Protest Against New Attorney General Matthew Whitaker

“At a minimum,” Wyden says, “[Whitaker] should recuse himself from the special counsel’s investigation.”

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden celebrates election results on Nov. 6, 2018. (Justin Katigbak)
By Elise Herron

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is the latest politician to denounce President Trump's new pick for U.S. Attorney General, Matthew Whitaker.

Wyden on Thursday night attended Portland's "Not Above the Law" protest at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, demanding Whitaker recuse himself from the investigation into Russian meddling in U.S. elections. Demonstrators fear President Trump's request for U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign on Wednesday is an attempt to quash that inquiry.

The demonstration was mirrored nationally in cities such as New York, Seattle, Boston and Cincinnati, among others.

Wyden made an appearance at the Portland rally.

"I want you to know, as Oregon's guy on the Senate Intelligence Committee, that this investigation is not going to be swept under the rug," Wyden told a cheering crowd late last night. "The election results have barely come in, and Donald Trump railroaded his Attorney General into resigning. I'm telling ya, that shows how terrified he is about Bob Mueller's work."

In a Nov. 7 statement, Wyden added that, "Whitaker has openly called for restrictions on Mueller's investigation and described a game plan to obstruct Mueller from doing his job and getting to the bottom of Russia's interference in our democracy. Given these comments, at a minimum, he should recuse himself from the special counsel's investigation."

He continued: "Whitaker's appointment raises blaring alarms about the acceleration of obstruction of justice and a fundamental attack on the rule of law in our country. Congress must act right now to protect the special counsel's investigation."

Wyden's demands are echoed by Oregon's Attorney General, Ellen Rosenblum, who yesterday joined 18 other state attorneys general in calling for Whitaker to recuse himself. 

Oregon's Democratic Senator has long been critical of the handling of the Russia investigation, calling for the Senate Intelligence Committee, of which Wyden is a member, to "follow the money." 

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