Sunday shows preview: Trump taps acting attorney general to lead Justice Department

Joining the Sunday news shows this week is one of President Trump’s reported top potential replacements for Attorney General Jeff Sessions: former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), who also headed the president’s White House transition last year.

Christie will join ABC’s “This Week,” where two ranking Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and House Judiciary Committee will also appear, likely to address Sessions’ firing and special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

Trump fired Sessions just a day after Democrats retook the House of Representatives in Tuesday’s midterm elections, sparking rumors about the future of the Mueller investigation into Russian election interference.

The administration told reporters this week that Matthew Whitaker, Sessions’ former chief of staff, would assume the position of acting attorney general while the Senate confirmed a replacement.

{mosads}Whitaker’s views on the special counsel investigation, which he has referred to as a “lynch mob,” came under fire in recent days as has his opinions on the power of the judiciary.

Sessions’ departure set off a flurry of speculation as to who the president would pick to replace the former Alabama senator at the DOJ, where the Mueller investigation has frequently been the target of Trump’s public criticism in recent months.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), of the House Intelligence Committee, will also appear on NBC’s Meet The Press to discuss the investigation.

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway will appear on “Fox News Sunday” as well as ABC, where she will likely face questions on Trump’s firing of Sessions and attitude towards the incoming Democratic majority in the House. The House Minority Leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), will meanwhile appear on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), who this week announced a lawsuit over vote counting efforts in his state as his lead in Florida’s too-close-to-call Senate race grows tighter, will appear on Fox News to discuss his lawsuit and ongoing vote tabulation efforts in Florida, home to two prominent uncalled races.

Here’s the full lineup:

CNN’s “State of the Union”: Sens. Cory Gardner (D-Colo.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.).

“Fox News Sunday“: White House counselor Kellyanne Conway; Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R).

NBC’s “Meet the Press”: Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Reps.-elect Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.).

ABC’s “This Week”: Reps. Elijah Cummings D-(Md.) and Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), White House counselor Kellyanne Conway; former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R).

CBS’s “Face the Nation”: Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).