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Shortly after the Justice Department released Special Investigator Robert Mueller's investigation report on Russia, President Trump had asked the former White House lawyer, Don McGahn, to publicly declare that he did not see in a Mueller referral order an obstruction of justice.
Sources told the Wall Street Journal that McGahn had declined the claim presented by the current White House Special Advisor, Emmet Flood.
"We did not see it as a kind of threat or something sinister. It was a professional and cordial request, "said McGahn's lawyer, William Burck, in a statement.
In a follow-up, the New York Times announced that Mr. McGahn had also declined the invitation to publicly declare that he believed that there was no obstruction before the publication of the Mueller report. The Times reported that Trump's lawyers had found that Mueller's report had been forgotten. McGahn had told the investigators that he did not believe that justice had been impeded, as Burck had told them months before.
The White House has not yet reacted to reports.
In the 448-page report, published last month with the redactions, Mueller details 10 cases in which Trump could have obstructed justice, including ordering McGahn to fire Mueller. According to the report, McGahn resisted and went so far as to pack his belongings at the White House and inform his chief of staff, Annie Donaldson, to keep her informed of the decision. Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon and chief of staff Reince Priebus urged him not to resign. McGahn did not leave his post at the White House until the end of 2018.
Another possible case of obstruction was examined, according to which the media reportedly published in January 2018 – according to the president, a "false news" – according to which Trump would have ordered McGahn to have Mueller dismissed. The President has repeatedly tried to deny McGahn that he was not asked then. According to the report, McGahn rejected the president's request to write a letter contesting that Trump ordered him to dismiss the special council and told the president, at a meeting of the Oval Office, that the press reports were accurate. .
Mueller declined to say whether Trump had committed a crime, citing a directive from the Department of Justice that presiding officers can not be charged. Democrats argue that Mueller's report leaves the issue of obstruction in Congress to investigate and decide.
Trump tweeted last month that he had never told McGahn to "fire" Mueller and that he had wanted it, he "could have done it" himself.
McGahn collaborated with the Special Council team and had several interviews for more than 30 hours.
Last month, the House Judiciary Committee summoned McGahn to search for his testimony and documents relating to his investigation into Trump's possible obstruction of justice. However, the White House this week asked McGahn to challenge the subpoena, noting that Trump could exercise the executive's privilege of preventing McGahn from cooperating, possibly preparing him for a contempt of court. the quote from Congress.
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