{"id":9716,"date":"2018-08-29T13:40:59","date_gmt":"2018-08-29T20:40:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=9716"},"modified":"2018-08-29T13:40:59","modified_gmt":"2018-08-29T20:40:59","slug":"white-house-counsel-mcgahn-to-leave-this-fall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=9716","title":{"rendered":"White House counsel McGahn to leave this fall"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"blogs-social-wrp\">\n<div class=\"addthis_inline_share_toolbox_ru82\" data-url=\"http:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/administration\/404145-trump-announces-white-house-counsel-mcgahn-to-leave-this-fall\" data-title=\"Trump says White House counsel McGahn to leave this fall\" data-description=\"President Trump\u00a0announced\u00a0Wednesday\u00a0that White House counsel Don McGahn would be leaving his position in the fall.\">\n<div id=\"atstbx\" class=\"at-resp-share-element at-style-responsive addthis-smartlayers addthis-animated at4-show\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"at-a192f7dd-d27a-4711-b37f-5ec9ae0eeafe\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"content\" class=\"column\">\n<article class=\"node-404145 node node-article view-mode-full clearfix\">\n<div class=\"content-with-sidebar-wrp\">\n<div class=\"content-wrp\">\n<div class=\"player-container sticky-disabled player-minimize\">\n<div class=\"player-position\">\n<div id=\"404145-player\" class=\"jwplayer jw-reset jw-state-paused jw-stretch-uniform jw-flag-aspect-mode jw-breakpoint-4 jw-flag-user-inactive jw-flag-play-rejected\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"application\" aria-label=\"Video Player\">\n<div class=\"jw-controls jw-reset\">\n<div class=\"jw-nextup-container jw-reset\">\n<div class=\"jw-nextup jw-background-color jw-reset jw-nextup-thumbnail-visible\"><button class=\"jw-icon jw-nextup-close jw-reset\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Next Up Close\"><\/button><span class=\"rollover-people\" data-behavior=\"rolloverpeople\"><a class=\"rollover-people-link\" href=\"http:\/\/thehill.com\/people\/donald-trump\" data-nid=\"261287\">President Trump<\/a><\/span>\u00a0announced\u00a0<span class=\"aBn\" tabindex=\"0\" data-term=\"goog_372982711\"><span class=\"aQJ\">Wednesday<\/span><\/span>\u00a0that White House counsel Don McGahn would be leaving his position in the fall.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field-items\">\n<div class=\"field-item even\">\n<p>Trump\u00a0made the abrupt announcement on Twitter, writing that McGahn would leave after Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh&#8217;s expected confirmation.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I have worked with Don for a long time and truly appreciate his service!&#8221; Trump wrote.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\" xml:lang=\"en\">White House Counsel Don McGahn will be leaving his position in the fall, shortly after the confirmation (hopefully) of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court. I have worked with Don for a long time and truly appreciate his service!<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/1034810550025433090?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 29, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div>\n<p>McGahn has played a central role in the administration\u2019s efforts to appoint conservative judges to federal courts. Those who worked closely with McGahn also describe him as a steady force in a White House increasingly embroiled in chaos.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe White House Counsel\u2019s office is an island of competence and professionalism in an otherwise chaotic and amateurish West Wing,\u201d said a former White House official who worked with the counsel\u2019s office regularly. \u201cIt will be a tremendous loss and you have to wonder if this well-oiled machine starts to sputter a bit after he leaves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Still, the source acknowledged that McGahn and Trump often left one another \u201cfrustrated.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/trump-says-white-house-counsel-donald-mcgahn-will-leave-his-job-in-the-fall\/2018\/08\/29\/f56828be-ab98-11e8-a8d7-0f63ab8b1370_story.html?noredirect=on&amp;utm_term=.9730e3b6436a\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?hl=en&amp;q=https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/trump-says-white-house-counsel-donald-mcgahn-will-leave-his-job-in-the-fall\/2018\/08\/29\/f56828be-ab98-11e8-a8d7-0f63ab8b1370_story.html?noredirect%3Don%26utm_term%3D.9730e3b6436a&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1535648490796000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFCWV3zg37xBDKHeLws2MPi9YaYSw\">Washington Post<\/a>\u00a0reported that even McGahn was surprised by Trump\u2019s announcement\u00a0<span data-term=\"goog_372982978\">Wednesday<\/span>\u00a0morning. According to the Post, while it was known in the West Wing that McGahn planned to leave after Kavanaugh\u2019s confirmation process, he had not yet discussed it personally with Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has not chosen someone to fill McGahn&#8217;s role when he leaves, according to an\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/administration\/404106-white-house-counsel-to-leave-position-this-fall-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Axios report<\/a>\u00a0earlier Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>McGahn is poised to\u00a0leave his position just weeks after\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/administration\/402478-white-house-counsel-has-spent-30-hours-sharing-detailed-accounts-with\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The New York Times reported<\/a>\u00a0that the White House counsel had cooperated\u00a0extensively\u00a0with special counsel\u00a0<span class=\"rollover-people\" data-behavior=\"rolloverpeople\"><a class=\"rollover-people-link\" href=\"http:\/\/thehill.com\/people\/robert-mueller\" data-nid=\"364882\">Robert Mueller<\/a><\/span>\u00a0as part of his investigation\u00a0into Russian interference in the election, including on the line of inquiry as to whether Trump obstructed justice.<\/p>\n<p>Among other topics, McGahn reportedly discussed\u00a0the president&#8217;s dismissal of former FBI Director\u00a0<span class=\"rollover-people\" data-behavior=\"rolloverpeople\"><a class=\"rollover-people-link\" href=\"http:\/\/thehill.com\/people\/james-comey\" data-nid=\"365988\">James Comey<\/a><\/span>\u00a0and his repeated urging of Attorney General\u00a0<span class=\"rollover-people\" data-behavior=\"rolloverpeople\"><a class=\"rollover-people-link\" href=\"http:\/\/thehill.com\/people\/jeff-sessions\" data-nid=\"188198\">Jeff Sessions<\/a><\/span>\u00a0to\u00a0take oversight\u00a0of the special counsel, despite Sessions&#8217;s recusal from the Russia probe.<\/p>\n<p>Trump later claimed to have allowed McGahn and other members of the White House staff to \u201cfully cooperate\u201d with Mueller, whose investigation the president has regularly derided as a political &#8220;witch hunt.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI allowed White House Counsel Don McGahn, and all other requested members of the White House Staff, to fully cooperate with the Special Counsel,\u201d Trump tweeted earlier this month. \u201cIn addition we readily gave over one million pages of documents. Most transparent in history. No Collusion, No Obstruction. Witch Hunt!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There have been signs of tumult between McGahn and Trump for several months. The Times also\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/01\/25\/us\/politics\/trump-mueller-special-counsel-russia.html\">reported<\/a>\u00a0in January that McGahn had threatened to resign at one point when Trump broached firing Mueller.<\/p>\n<p>Trump later on Wednesday described McGahn as an \u201cexcellent guy\u201d for whom he has \u201ca lot of affection.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon McGahn is a really good guy, been with me a long time,\u201d Trump told reporters at an event rolling out a drug-free communities support program at the White House.<\/p>\n<p>When asked whether he was concerned about what the White House counsel said to Mueller, Trump replied, \u201cNo, not at all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The president\u2019s public attacks on Mueller have only escalated in recent weeks, as the special counsel\u2019s team litigated its first case against former Trump campaign chairman\u00a0<span class=\"rollover-people\" data-behavior=\"rolloverpeople\"><a class=\"rollover-people-link\" href=\"http:\/\/thehill.com\/people\/paul-manafort\" data-nid=\"365273\">Paul Manafort<\/a><\/span>. Last week, a jury in Alexandria, Va., convicted Manafort on eight counts of tax and bank fraud.<\/p>\n<p>McGahn worked on Trump\u2019s 2016 presidential campaign before joining to the White House. As the White House counsel, he is tasked with advising Trump and other members of the White House staff on legal issues that involve the administration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Trump\u00a0announced\u00a0Wednesday\u00a0that White House counsel Don&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s-a"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9716"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9716\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9717,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9716\/revisions\/9717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}