Matthew George Whitaker (born October 29, 1969) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the acting United States Attorney General from November 7, 2018, to February 14, 2019. He was appointed to that position by President Donald Trump after Jeff Sessions resigned at Trump’s request. Whitaker had previously served as Chief of Staff to Sessions from October 2017 to November 2018.
While attending the University of Iowa, Whitaker played tight end for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes football team, under coach Hayden Fry, appearing in the starting lineup for Iowa’s Rose Bowl game in 1991. In 2002, Whitaker was the candidate of the Republican Party for Treasurer of Iowa. From 2004 to 2009, he served as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa, where he was known for aggressively prosecuting drug traffickers.
Whitaker ran in the 2014 Iowa Republican primary for the United States Senate. He later wrote opinion pieces and appeared on talk-radio shows and cable news as the executive director of the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), a conservative advocacy group.
On December 7, 2018, Trump announced his nomination of William Barr for Attorney General. On February 15, 2019, after Barr was sworn in on the previous day, Whitaker became a senior counselor in the Office of the Associate Attorney General, serving in that position until his resignation on March 2, 2019.
The legality of Whitaker’s appointment as acting U.S. Attorney General was challenged in multiple lawsuits, and questioned by legal scholars, commentators, and politicians. Whitaker’s service ended with the confirmation and swearing in of William Barr, on February 14, 2019. Following his return to private life, Whitaker became a guest on news and analysis shows, and was affiliated with the law firm of Graves Garrett. In August 2019, he also became Managing Director for both Axiom Strategies and Clout Public Affairs.
