Trump announces departure of White House counsel Don McGahn News
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Trump announces departure of White House counsel Don McGahn

US President Donald Trump announced [twitter] Wednesday that White House Counsel Don McGahn [CNN profile] will step down in the fall following the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh [CNN profile].

McGahn has been a consistent face in the Trump administration since the 2016 election. Prior to working in the White House McGahn was a partner specializing in campaign finance at Jones Day, general counsel for Trump’s campaign, in-house counsel for the National Republican Congressional Committee and former commissioner for the Federal Election Commission.

The president tweeted about McGahn’s departure and thanked him for his service.

“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!”

During his time as White House Counsel McGahn has functioned as Trump’s liaison to justice officials and Congress, has named conservatives to federal judgeships and has rolled back regulations.

McGahn is known for voluntarily cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller during the Russia investigation which has led to speculation of McGahn’s position as White House Counsel. Earlier this month it was disclosed that McGahn has interviewed with Muller on several occassions which spanned 30 hours over the last nine months.

Trump has yet to name a replacement.

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