Senator Democrats to take legal action against Whitaker's appointment

Senator Democrats are considering legal action against the United States President Donald Trump's decision of appointing Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general.

A Democratic aide told The Hill that a potential lawsuit is in talks, which would argue that Whitaker's appointment breached the Senate's "advice and consent" role, which is in the preliminary stages and is being researched.

"We are actively thinking about what a possible legal challenge would look like in this case," the aide asserted.

The potential lawsuit comes following the ouster of attorney general Jeff Sessions and Trump's appointment of Whitaker as the acting attorney general, who was Sessions' chief of staff.

Democrats and a few Republicans have also expressed anxiety about the effect Sessions' appointment will have on special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Seeking details on the logical reasoning behind Whitaker's appointment, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer wrote a letter to Trump, citing a violation of the Appointments Clause of the Constitution by putting someone who had not been previously confirmed by the Senate into the Justice Department spot.

"Mr. Whitaker is a political appointee who is not serving in a Senate-confirmed position in the Justice Department. I am not aware of any precedent for the appointment of an official who has not been confirmed by the Senate to serve as acting Attorney General," Schumer wrote in the letter.