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St. George joins nationwide protests to protect Russia investigation

Utah Channel 3

ST. GEORGE – Over 130 people standing along St. George Boulevard in front of U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart’s St. George office Thursday evening joined protesters across the nation calling for the protection of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into potential ties between Russia and President Donald Trump’s campaign.

Then-Iowa Republican senatorial candidate and former U.S. Attorney Matt Whitaker prior to a live televised debate in Johnston, Iowa, April 24, 2014. Whitaker was named this week as acting U.S. attorney general. | Associated Press file photo by Charlie Neibergall, St. George News

Organized by Washington City resident Salem Stanley, the group was small at first, as people began to gather shortly before 5 p.m., but gradually grew to between 130-150 people at its peak.

Many signs echoed the sentiment that “Trump is not above the law” and that Congress should “Protect the Probe” while others demanded acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker recuse himself from the investigation. Whitaker has criticized Mueller’s probe.

Trump asked for Jeff Sessions’ resignation then replaced him with Whitaker, who had been Sessions’ chief of staff.

Crowds also turned out in Salt Lake City, Chicago and many other places. Organizers say the naming of Whitaker is a “deliberate attempt to obstruct the special counsel’s investigation.”

Read more: Jeff Sessions forced out as attorney general by Trump

“We want Whitaker to recuse himself immediately and we want the investigation to just happen,” Stanley said. “We’re not looking for a specific outcome of the investigation. We just want it to happen and have integrity.”

The reason for holding the protest in front of Stewart’s St. George office was seen as a way to send a message to the state’s congressional representatives to hold Trump accountable, Stanley said.

“(Trump) should be held accountable and he’s not above the law,” Stanley said.

Whitaker, 49, has been described by some of his detractors as a Trump loyalist.

Critics worry that Whitaker may be unlikely or unwilling to defend the Department of Justice’s independence against political interference by the White House, given his history of partisanship and loyalty to Trump.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that Whitaker should recuse himself from overseeing the Mueller investigation given his previous public comments that appeared to exhibit hostility toward the inquiry.

According to the Associated Press, Whitaker has said Mueller’s Russia investigation risks “going too far” and supported limits on the prosecutor’s power.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has been overseeing the investigation because of Sessions’ recusal.

The probe includes questions about a 2016 Trump Tower meeting involving the president’s son Donald Trump Jr., and a Kremlin-connected lawyer offering damaging information about Hillary Clinton who ran against Trump.

The ongoing investigation has produced guilty pleas from four former Trump aides, according to the Associated Press.

During an appearance on CNN in July 2017, Whitaker laid out a hypothetical scenario in which Sessions were replaced and someone new would assume oversight of Mueller’s probe. The scenario didn’t see Mueller fired, Whitaker said. Instead, funding for the probe was reduced to the point the “investigation grinds almost to a halt.”

Stanley mentioned this being a possibility should Whitaker not recuse himself.

“We just want to make sure Robert Mueller and the investigation are protected,” Stanley said, adding he and others may continue with additional rounds of protests until Congress to either passes legislation protecting the investigation or Whitaker recuses himself.

Attending the protest was Chuck Goode, chairman of the Washington County Democratic Party, who said Trump’s recent actions of getting Sessions to resign and appointing Whitaker were suspect.

“These steps are breaking the law and Trump is not above the law,” Goode said.

Cody Ham, a flight attendant who lives in St. George part time, said it was important to join the protest.

“I think it’s important to come out, and show (that) even in rural St. George, no one is above the laws, not even Trump, and it’s important that Whitaker recuse himself,” Ham said.

As the demonstration picked up steam and more people arrived, various passersby honked their horns in support. At least two passing motorists weren’t so supportive as one driver a pickup truck blasted a thick cloud of exhaust into a part of the crowd early on, and another showed their disapproval through an obscene gesture from a car window.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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Email: mkessler@stgnews.com

Twitter: @MoriKessler

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