Matthew Whitaker

Matthew George Whitaker (born October 29, 1969) is an American lawyer, lobbyist 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.

Matthew George Whitaker was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on October 29, 1969.

He graduated from Ankeny High School, where he was a football star.

As an undergraduate between 1990 and 1992, Whitaker was the backup tight end for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes football team under coach Hayden Fry, including the 1991 Rose Bowl the Hawkeyes lost to the Washington Huskies.

Whitaker played in 33 games, including two bowl games, and made 21 receptions for a total of 203 yards, scoring two touchdowns.

A spokeswoman for College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) said CoSIDA was less formally organized in the 1990s and "We know that people over time use terms interchangeably and innocently."

While attending the University of Iowa, Whitaker played tight end for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes football team, including in the 1991 Rose Bowl.

Whitaker attended the University of Iowa, receiving a bachelor's degree in communications in 1991 and Master of Business Administration and Juris Doctor degrees in 1995.

He was sponsor GTE's 1992 GTE District VII Academic All-District selection; an Iowa football guide erroneously referred to the honor as GTE District VII Academic All-American.

In 1993, he received the Big Ten Medal of Honor for proficiency in scholarship and athletics awarded each year to one male and one female student-athlete at each Big Ten Conference school.

Whitaker graduated from college in three-and-a-half years, and played his last season of football while attending law school.

Throughout his career, Whitaker had stated that he was an Academic All-American in college.

After graduating from law school, Whitaker lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 1995 to 2001, before moving back to Iowa.

Whitaker worked for a number of regional law firms, including Briggs & Morgan (Minneapolis) and Finley Alt Smith (Des Moines), and he was corporate counsel for national grocery store chain SuperValu in Minneapolis.

In 2002, Whitaker was the candidate of the Republican Party for Treasurer of Iowa.

He also owned or co-owned a trailer manufacturing company from 2002 to 2005 and a day-care center from 2003 to 2015.

Whitaker ran as a Republican for Treasurer of Iowa in 2002, losing to incumbent Democrat Michael Fitzgerald by 55% to 43%.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley recommended Whitaker as one of three attorneys suggested to President George W. Bush for the position of United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa.

In 2003, Whitaker and a partner co-founded Buy the Yard Concrete, based at Whitaker's home in Urbandale, 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.

In February 2004, Bush nominated Whitaker to the position, despite assertions that Whitaker lacked relevant legal experience.

Senate Democrats objecting to Bush nominees held up the nomination for four months before Whitaker was confirmed on June 15, 2004.

In his first year in office, Whitaker issued a record 500 indictments, more than half of which were drug prosecutions, mainly related to trafficking of methamphetamine.

In 2005, the company and Whitaker were sued in Nevada for $12,000 in unpaid rental fees for supplies and equipment related to a concrete project in Las Vegas.

The lawsuit was settled out of court.

In July 2005, Whitaker joined neighboring U.S. Attorneys Michael Heavican of Nebraska and Charles Larson Sr. of northern Iowa, in issuing a warning that persons crossing state lines to obtain pseudoephedrine, a methamphetamine ingredient, could be prosecuted in federal court.

As U.S. Attorney, Whitaker sought stringent sentences for individuals charged with drug crimes.

One case involved a woman who had two prior nonviolent drug convictions and was informed by Whitaker's office that, as a third-time offender, her sentence could be enhanced to a mandatory life sentence unless she agreed to a plea deal of 21 to 27 years in prison.

She agreed to the plea bargain.

He was inducted into the Iowa High School Football Hall of Fame in 2009.

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.

Whitaker had previously served as Chief of Staff to Sessions from October 2017 to November 2018.

On December 7, 2018, Trump nominated William Barr for Attorney General.

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.

A December 2018 investigation by The Wall Street Journal found that he was not.

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; he resigned from the Justice Department on March 2, 2019.

After leaving the Justice Department, Whitaker became a guest on news and analysis shows including as a CNN contributor, and was affiliated with the law firm of Graves Garrett.

In August 2019, he became a managing director at Axiom Strategies and Clout Public Affairs.