WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the House Judiciary Committee says he will hold a vote Thursday to approve a subpoena for Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker just in case he doesn't show up for scheduled testimony a day later. Whitaker is scheduled to testify before the panel on Friday even as the Senate is close to confirming President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, William Barr. Democrats have said they want to talk to Whitaker because he is a close ally of Trump who has criticized special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. "To be clear, I hope never to use this subpoena," Nadler said in the statement. Last week, Whitaker told reporters that Mueller's Russia probe is "close to being completed" — the first official sign that the investigation may be wrapping up.

Source: Economic Times February 05, 2019 16:41 UTC