After threats of subpoena, acting attorney general to testify on Hill

(MORE: House Democrats ready subpoena for testimony from Acting Attorney General Whitaker)

Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty ImagesActing US Attorney General Matthew Whitaker attends the annual Veterans Appreciation Day ceremony at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., Nov. 15, 2018.

In a letter to Whitaker on Tuesday, Nadler wrote that he expected the acting attorney general to “appear on February 8 whether or not the current lapse in appropriations has been resolved, and whether or not the Senate has confirmed a new Attorney General.”

The Justice Department confirmed that Whitaker agreed to the date.

Democrats have expressed concerns about Whitaker’s public comments about the Mueller investigation, and whether he has influenced the special counsel’s probe at President Trump’s direction.

(MORE: Why Acting AG Whitaker wasn’t required to recuse himself from overseeing Mueller probe)

Whitaker decided not to recuse himself from overseeing the Mueller probe late last year, despite at least one senior department ethics official telling colleagues he would recommend Whitaker do so.

Meanwhile, Barr appeared on Capitol Hill Tuesday for his first day of confirmation hearings. Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee took the opportunity to question Barr extensively about the Mueller investigation, among other topics of interest.

Sourse: abcnews.go.com