Former Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker
Former Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker says House Democrats will likely continue to push forward with their inquiry into the Trump administration
House Democrats are likely to continue investigating President Trump, even after his acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial, former Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said Saturday.
Appearing on "Fox & Friends: Weekend," Whitaker said the majority Democrats under Speaker Nancy Pelosi have powerful oversight tools at their dispoal, including the ability to subpoena witnesses.
TRUMP OUSTS KEY IMPEACHMENT FIGURES SONDLAND, VINDMAN DAYS AFTER SENATE ACQUITTAL
Whitaker recalled his appearance about a year ago at an "oversight hearing," which he called more of an "an inquisition as to whether President Trump had done anything wrong."
He told host Pete Hegseth that House oversight investigations into the Trump administration aren't going to stop.
President Donald Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
On Wednesday afternoon, the Senate acquitted the president of both articles of impeachment, largely along party lines.
With votes of 52-48 against conviction for abuse of power and 53-47 against obstruction of Congress, the Senate fell far short of the two-thirds supermajority needed to remove the president.
All Democratic senators supported convicting the president on both articles, including moderate Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., and Doug Jones, D-Ala.
The only party defection, on the abuse of power charge, came from Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who declared hours before the final vote that Trump had engaged in as "destructive an attack on the oath of office and our Constitution as I can imagine."
On Thursday afternoon -- hours after the acquittal -- the president railed against what he called an “evil” impeachment process to thunderous applause and a standing ovation from supporters.
On Friday, the administration ousted impeachment probe witnesses U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland and Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman.
“It was evil. It was corrupt. It was dirty cops. It was leakers and liars. This should never, ever happen to another president, ever,” Trump said of his opponents and the impeachment. “It was a disgrace.”
"Where I am and where I live...the people I talk to are saying: 'Are you kidding me? Why can't they get anything done for the American people?'" Whitaker said of Democrats.
"It also appears that they are looking for new angles to really fundamentally use the House tools of oversight ... for a really bad purpose -- that is to score cheap political points against the president and try to weaken him," Whitaker noted.
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Whitaker, who briefly served as acting attorney general under Trump, said Pelosi will not yield after the president's acquittal because she wants to appease her far-left base.
"They have lurched left and they have no desire to really serve the people of America," Whitaker said.
Fox News' Gregg Re, Chad Pergram, Marisa Schultz, and Jason Donner contributed to this report.
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