Trump Claims He ‘Did Not Know’ Whitaker’s Views on Russia Probe

President Trump claims he “did not know” about acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker’s previous criticisms of the ongoing Russia investigation but has no problem with them now because he “happened to be right.” Speaking to Chris Matthews in a Fox News interview that aired Sunday morning, Trump said that Whitaker’s statements—in which he called for special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation to be defunded or face restrictions—did not have “any effect” on his decision to appoint him Mueller's new boss. “I did not know he took views on Mueller’s investigation as such,” Trump said, but “what do you do when a person’s right?” Trump’s comments come amid concerns that his decision to appoint Whitaker, a loyalist who has repeatedly echoed the president’s own comments about the Russia investigation being a hoax, could be an attempt to end the probe.