Attorney General William Barr stands at the direction of President Donald Trump during an event in the Rose Garden at the White House to declare a nat...
Attorney General William Barr stands at the direction of President Donald Trump during an event in the Rose Garden at the White House to declare a national emergency in order to build a wall along the southern border, Friday, Feb. 15, 2019 in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
In this Feb. 8, 2019, photo, acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker speaks during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington....
In this Feb. 8, 2019, photo, acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker speaks during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler says many of the answers that Whitaker gave his committee in a hearing last week were “unsatisfactory, incomplete or contradicted by other evidence” and is asking for further clarification. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker remains at the Justice Department, but in a very different role.
Whitaker, who last week appeared before the House Judiciary Committee, now works in the office of the associate attorney general.
That office oversees the Justice Department's civil litigation as well as matters including civil rights, environmental and antitrust.
Meanwhile, William Barr is spending his first full day Friday as attorney general meeting with top-level staff and receiving briefings on Justice Department priorities. A Justice Department spokeswoman wouldn't say if he's been briefed yet on special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.
He was at the White House as President Donald Trump declared a national emergency to fulfill his pledge to build a border wall. Trump told him to "enjoy your life."
