Feds Won't Call Obama Pal Whitaker To Testify In Grant Fraud Case
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- Federal prosecutors say they don't plan to call a friend of President Barack Obama's who made what they call "baseless accusations" about racial bias to testify in a trial over funds allegedly misused at the Illinois Department of Public Health.
The decision not to call Dr. Eric Whitaker to testify was announced Tuesday, a day after Judge Richard Mills declared Whitaker a "hostile witness."
Whitaker was the agency's director from 2003 to 2007. He isn't accused of wrongdoing but listed as a witness in a trial involving Leon Dingle Jr., who's accused of diverting more than $3 million in grants for personal use.
Whitaker has expressed concerns that the cases pursued by attorneys in the Central District could be racially motivated. Whitaker's spokeswoman didn't immediately return calls seeking comment.
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