WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Matthew Whitaker, acting U.S. attorney general, will testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Friday as scheduled after a showdown with congressional Democrats over the hearing.
House Democrats had threatened to subpoena Whitaker over his oversight of the ongoing Russia probe led by special counsel Robert Mueller, his contacts with White House related to the probe and the firing of former Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
In response, Whitaker, who previously had agreed to testify, warned that he wouldn't show up unless lawmakers dropped the ultimatum he described as "political theater."
In a letter posted on Twitter late Thursday, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler told Whitaker that there will be no need for the panel to issue a subpoena if he appears "before the Committee tomorrow morning and if you are prepared to respond to questions from our Members."
The New York Democrat later confirmed that Whitaker will appear on Friday morning.
The Justice Department also issued a statement, saying that Whitaker "looks forward to voluntarily appearing at tomorrow's hearing."
Democrats have said they want to speak to Whitaker, a close ally of President Donald Trump who has repeatedly blasted Mueller's inquiry, which the acting attorney general oversees.
Asked about Whitaker's congressional appearance, Trump called Whitaker an "outstanding person" and said he would do very well should he testify.
"I think he's an outstanding person. I would say, if he did testify, he'd do very well," Trump said during a White House event on Thursday.
The wide-ranging Mueller probe has focused on possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow during the 2016 U.S. presidential elections and whether the president obstructed justice, among other things.
The special counsel has so far indicted or gotten guilty pleas from 34 people, including six former Trump associates and over two dozen Russian nationals, as well as three Russian entities.
Whitaker said late last month that the Mueller-led investigation is "close to being completed," although there has been no confirmation of this from the special counsel's office.
The hearing also comes as Whitaker's time leading the Justice Department is about to end, as a Senate panel voted on party lines on Thursday to advance the nomination of William Barr, Trump's official pick for attorney general.
The nomination now heads to the Senate floor, where Republicans have a 53-47 majority over Democrats and Democratic-caucusing independents.
The nomination of Barr, who served as attorney general between 1991 and 1993 under President George H.W. Bush, is expected to be confirmed in a vote that could come as early as next week.
The Justice Department has been led on a temporary basis by Whitaker since Sessions was ousted by Trump in November immediately after last year's midterm elections.
