Large Crowd Joins 'Protect Mueller' Protest In Walnut Creek

WALNUT CREEK, CA — Demonstrators in Walnut Creek gathered along Ygnacio Valley Road Thursday evening to protest President Donald Trump's replacement of his attorney general after embattled former Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned on Wednesday.

It is one of hundreds of protests across the Bay Area and the country at 5 p.m. local time.

Trump has appointed Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, who protesters claim is a Trump "loyalist" who will stifle the U.S. Department of Justice's investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Activists are calling for a "rapid response" to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller who is overseeing the investigation. In addition to US protests, demonstrators gathered in Amsterdam, Rome, Toronto and other international locations.

Other Bay Area protests include San Jose, Santa Clara, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Mateo, San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, Alameda, Richmond and more.

The activists have identified themselves as NobodyisAbovetheLaw.org, a community-built movement that has organized the international protests."

The Nobody Is Above the Law network demands that Whitaker immediately commit not to assume supervision of the investigation," the group said in a news release. "Our hundreds of response events are being launched to demonstrate the public demand for action to correct this injustice."

The peaceful Walnut Creek protest took place on Ygnacio Valley Road between N. Broadway and Civic Drive.

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— Patch Editor Bea Karnes and Bay City News contributed to this report; Image by Deborah Dafoe via Twitter, used with permission