WASHINGTON ― Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker has revised his ethics disclosure forms at least five times since President Donald Trump appointed him after former Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ forced resignation.
Financial disclosure forms published Tuesday evening show that Whitaker took in $900,000 in salary from a “charity” organization that took aim at Democrats on ethics grounds as well as $1,750 in legal fees from a dubious, since-shuttered marketing company accused of fraud.
Whitaker also took in more than $100,000 from his law firm as well as $15,000 from CNN, where he briefly served as a legal commentator who opposed special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
It’s unclear what exact information Whitaker omitted when he first filed the form upon his appointment as Sessions’ chief of staff in late 2017. The most recent changes were made the day after the midterm elections as well as on Nov. 8, Nov. 16, Nov. 19 and Nov. 20.
The Washington Post reported Tuesday that the conservative watchdog organization Whitaker headed, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, was originally set up as a “shell charity” and was supposedly focused on studying how environmental regulations affected businesses.