Milbank: Accidental AG Whitaker's five minutes are up

Matthew G. Whitaker runs hot.

During the acting attorney general’s previous major public appearance, a Justice Department news conference, he perspired with the output of an oscillating sprinkler. Testifying before Congress for the first time Friday — an appearance he had threatened Thursday to skip — Whitaker again overheated: An angry scarlet rose up the back of Whitaker’s neck as new House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-New York, asked him about his actions toward special counsel Robert Mueller.

Whitaker’s responses were barbed accusations: “What’s the basis for that question?” “Again, what is the basis?” “Can you tell me where you get the basis?”

As Nadler continued, Whitaker, alleging Democrats relied on “mere speculation,” noticed a red light had gone on. “Mr. Chairman, I see that your five minutes is up,” the witness said.

Actually, Whitaker is the one whose five minutes are about to be up.

He’ll be relieved of his temporary duties in days, assuming William Barr is confirmed, ending the improbable tenure of an accidental attorney general. Before joining the Trump administration, Whitaker hawked hot tubs for a company that shut down and reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission. His main qualification to be attorney general, it appeared, was criticizing Mueller on TV.

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