Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker falsely claimed on his resume and on government documents that he was named an Academic All-American when he played football at the University of Iowa, according to a report.
The former Hawkeyes tight end from 1990 to 1992 made the claim in the bio on his former law firm’s website and on a resume he sent in 2014 to a patent-marketing firm for which he sat on the advisory board, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Whitaker — whom President Trump named acting AG last month after the ouster of Jeff Sessions — also made the claim when he applied to be a judge in Iowa in 2010, according to the Journal.
And in 2009, when Whitaker left his post as US attorney in Iowa, a Justice Department press release said he had been “an academic All-American football player.”
To be considered for the recognition, a student-athlete must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.3 and must be a starter or important reserve on his or her team.
Whitaker’s name doesn’t appear among those who’ve been named Academic All-Americans on the website of the College Sports Information Directors of America, which bestows the annual honor.
Another Iowa player appears on the list for 1992, the year that Whitaker claimed he received the honor.
Barb Kowal, a spokeswoman for the organization, told the newspaper it has no record that Whitaker was ever an Academic All-American.
Kowal said Whitaker apparently had been selected to a lower-level All-District honor in one of eight regions around the US.
Those in that group are placed on the national ballot, from which a small number of student-athletes are voted to be given the coveted Academic All-American status, she added.
Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupac said Whitaker relied on a 1993 Hawkeyes media guide that listed him as a “GTE District VII academic All-American.” GTE was then the contest sponsor.
Steve Roe, an assistant athletic director at the University of Iowa, told the Journal: “If there is confusion at all, part of it could be how we listed it in our media guide.”
In an email to the paper, Kowal said “being named an Academic All-District is PART of the CoSIDA Academic All-America program, but does not make you an Academic All-America honoree.
“You must be placed on the national ballot and then voted onto the Academic All-America team to gain that honor.”
Kowal added that the correct term for Whitaker’s honor is “1992 GTE District VII Academic All-District selection.”
“We know that people over time use terms interchangeably and innocently,” she said.
If Whitaker had gone through a confirmation process, it’s possible the matter would have been brought up during independent vetting from the Senate. In his previous position as Sessions’ chief of staff, he didn’t require Senate confirmation.
The president has chosen William Barr to replace Sessions but he has yet to be formally nominated or appear before the Senate for confirmation hearings.