Security adviser Sullivan's wife faces calls to recuse herself from DOJ's Russia investigation

Margaret "Maggie" Goodlander, counsel to Attorney General Merrick Garland, is facing calls to recuse herself from any involvement in the Trump-Russia investigation over the probe's connections to her husband, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, The Washington Free Beacon reports.

Special Counsel John Durham's Trump-Russia probe is overseen by Garland, who is in charge of the investigation's budget, scope and final report.

Sullivan was mentioned in Durham's indictment that accused Hillary Clinton campaign attorney Michael Sussmann of "making false statements to the FBI in 2016 regarding alleged communications between [the] Trump organization and [a] Russian bank." 

The national security advisor may also be called as a witness for Durham's investigation because of his work as a foreign policy adviser to Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign for president, some have speculated.

The spokesman for the Department of Justice told Fox News last month that Goodlander is not involved in Durham's investigation. It remains unclear whether the Trump-Russia investigation is within her purview and if so, whether she has recused herself formally. 

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told the Free Beacon, "The Justice Department's standing guidance calls for employees to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest, especially when it comes to ongoing criminal investigations."

"It’s in Garland's best interest—and he's obligated—to be transparent about whether his department is walling off officials who have a real or even perceived conflict, just as prior administrations have done," the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee said.

Empower Oversight founder Jason Foster told the Free Beacon, "It would be no imposition on [Goodlander] or AG Garland to simply recuse herself from providing any advice to him in relation to that investigation—and thus reassure the public that she will continue to have no role in the future."