White House counsel to depart
Trump confirms news amid tensions over McGahn’s meetings with Robert Mueller.
Amid reports of growing tension between him and the president, Donald McGahn will step down within weeks.
WASHINGTON — President Trump announced Wednesday that White House Counsel Donald McGahn, who has been serving since the beginning of the administration in 2017, would step down in the coming weeks.
McGahn was an early supporter and advisor to Trump’s campaign, but tensions between the president and the attorney have been growing in recent months, especially as it has become clear that McGahn could emerge as a significant witness in any obstruction of justice case against the president.
The New York Times reported recently that McGahn had spent 30 hours with special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who is leading the inquiry into whether Trump’s campaign colluded with Russians and whether Trump intervened to obstruct that investigation.
According to the report, McGahn’s cooperation with the special counsel was driven by a concern that the president, who initially authorized all of his associates to speak with investigators, might have been setting him up to take the blame for possible obstruction of justice. Trump responded to the report by tweeting last week that he had “allowed” McGahn to speak to Mueller.
At a White House event on Wednesday afternoon, Trump told reporters that he had no concerns about what McGahn told Mueller.
“I have a lot of affection for Don,” Trump said. “He’s done an excellent job.”
But Trump, who has sometimes struggled to comprehend or accept that government officials are not tasked with defending his personal interests, has lashed out at McGahn privately on several occasions.
He blamed McGahn for not preventing Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions’ recusal from the Mueller inquiry last year, and demanded last summer that McGahn fire Mueller. McGahn reportedly threatened to resign rather than carry out the order, and the president relented.
McGahn, who was the general counsel for Trump’s campaign, has focused much of his efforts as White House counsel on the appointment of conservative judges to the nation’s top courts and on cutting federal regulations, both of which have endeared him to Republicans in Congress.
After Trump’s tweet about McGahn’s departure, Sen. Charles E. Grassley (RIowa) expressed his displeasure in a tweet of his own.
“@realDonaldTrump I hope it’s not true McGahn is leaving WhiteHouse Counsel. U can’t let that happen,” Grassley wrote on Twitter.
Grassley’s acknowledgment of ignorance was unusual. As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he would typically be informed in advance by the administration, especially one of the same party, about such a significant change at the White House counsel office.
Similarly, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican who has worked closely with McGahn to put a conservative stamp on the federal judiciary, issued a statement saying that if it’s true he’s leaving the White House, that is “sad news for our country.” McConnell, who came to the Senate 33 years ago, called McGahn “the most impressive White House counsel during my time in Washington.”
Trump’s announcement came just hours after the news website Axios reported that McGahn would leave some time this fall, and shortly after White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters she had “no announcements to make at this time.”
The president took matters into his own hands with his tweet hours after he urged his Twitter followers not to believe any anonymously sourced news reports. The Axios report was based on anonymous White House sources.
Veteran attorney Emmet Flood, who joined the White House legal team earlier this year, is the likeliest replacement for McGahn, according to two administration sources, who cautioned that no final decision has been made.
Flood was a special counsel to President George W. Bush and advised President Clinton during his impeachment investigation in the late 1990s.