Democrats call for "emergency hearing" after Trump replaces attorney general

Democrats have called for emergency hearings in Congress after Donald Trump appointed a vocal critic of the Russia investigation as acting attorney general to replace Jeff Sessions.

Matt Whitaker, Session’s former chief of staff, will now oversee Robert Mueller’s probe into 2016 Russian election meddling despite repeatedly criticising the scope of the investigation.

Whitaker was a legal commentator before joining the Justice Department last year, and he echoed the president by warning the probe could become a “witch hunt” and that Trump’s finances should not be investigated, calling that a “red line”.

All 17 Democrats who sit on the House Judiciary Committee penned a letter to the Republican chairman warning the country was “in the throes of a constitutional crisis”.

They called for “emergency hearings” and that “all relevant materials” to the firing be preserved.

A protest in New York City drew several hundred people calling for the protection of Mueller's investigation.

The protesters gathered in Times Square on Thursday night and chanted slogans including "Hands off Mueller" and "Nobody's above the law" before marching downtown. They held signs saying "Truth Must Triumph" and "Repeal, Replace Trump."

Similar rallies were being held across the country. Organizers say the appointment of Whitaker is a "deliberate attempt to obstruct the special counsel's investigation".

Democrats will take control of the committee in January after winning back the House of Representatives in the midterms but for now are reliant on the Republicans to approve hearings, which seems unlikely.

Whitaker’s new role as acting attorney general gives him the power to reject requests by Mueller, the special counsel, as well as end parts of his investigation, fire him and even keep secret his final report.

The next few weeks are expected to be critical for the Mueller investigation, which has avoided big public moves in the run-up to the midterms – perhaps to avoid accusations of seeking to influence elections.

Mueller, appointed to lead the investigation early last year, is still hoping to interview the president – something the White House has been resisting for months and which could soon come to a head.

Trump was infuriated by Sessions’s decision to recuse himself from overseeing the probe in March 2017, often complaining that he needed an attorney general who would protect him.