Fires Jeff Sessions and installs Mueller critic Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general

One day after Democrats won control of the House in midterm elections, Trump forced Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign and immediately installed Matthew Whitaker, a vocal critic of the Mueller investigation, as acting attorney general. Sessions' resignation letter stated it came "at your request." Whitaker had previously written an op-ed arguing that Mueller's investigation had gone too far and suggesting ways to defund it. By appointing Whitaker as acting AG rather than letting Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein continue overseeing the Mueller probe, Trump placed a loyalist in direct supervisory control of the investigation into himself. The move bypassed the normal succession order and raised immediate concerns about obstruction of justice. Legal experts questioned whether Whitaker should recuse himself given his public criticism of the investigation, while Democrats warned Trump was attempting to interfere with Mueller's work.

"We are pleased to announce that Matthew G. Whitaker, Chief of Staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the Department of Justice, will become our new Acting Attorney General of the United States." — November 7, 2018 tweet announcing Whitaker's appointment as acting attorney general after forcing Sessions to resign