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WASHINGTON – Donald F. McGahn II stepped down from the White House on Wednesday, ending a tumultuous 21-month mandate in which he led some of President Trump's most important political achievements, including two new appointments to the Supreme Court, while becoming the main witness against him. in the investigation of the special advocate.
Mr. McGahn's departure was confirmed by two people close to him. Mr McGahn and the President attended a farewell discussion on Wednesday, said one of them. Trump said this week he will install, as McGahn will replace, long-time Washington lawyer Pat Cipollone, calling him "a very good man, well respected by many."
As a White House lawyer, Mr. McGahn has taken on a handful of often contradictory roles: advisor to the president; protector of senior law enforcement officials, including special advocate Robert S. Mueller III; and witness in the investigation on whether Mr. Trump has obstructed justice. He told his aides that he had prevented Mr. Trump from dismissing Mr. Mueller and forcing Attorney General Jeff Sessions to take back control of the investigation of Russia after he had recused himself of any surveillance.
A long-time personality in Republican law circles, Mr. McGahn led the White House's efforts to reduce government regulation and stack federal courts with conservative judges. He presided over the nominations of Neil M. Gorsuch and Brett M. Kavanaugh, both appointed by Mr. Trump to the Supreme Court.
But Mr. McGahn did not tolerate Trump's often emotional reactions to the legal cloud over his administration, calling the president "King Kong" – out of Trump's reach – because of his explosive anger. Mr. McGahn has often tried to prevent the President from taking any action that Mr. McGahn considered legally or politically problematic, such as the removal of the special advocate. The president accused McGahn of appointing Mr. Mueller as deputy attorney general in May 2017, saying that McGahn had not done enough to control the Department of Justice.
Mr. McGahn may also have caused more damage to Mr. Trump than to any other White House official during the special advocate's investigation. Mr McGahn spent at least 30 hours with Mr. Mueller's investigators to explain how Mr. Trump had attempted to interfere or cancel the investigation, including attempting to fire Mr. Mueller himself in the summer of 2017.
Mr. Trump also considered entrusting the White House lawyer work to Emmet T. Flood, the White House lawyer charged with investigating the special advocate and to who he is accustomed to trust. Some White House officials told Flood, who wants to represent the president if the impeachment process begins in Congress, that he should have taken the post in order to keep control of the investigation of the special counsel and possible indictment. Mr. Flood did not finally accept the position, according to people familiar with the discussions, and should stay at his post.
McGahn had long planned to leave the White House this fall. But in August, shortly after the extent of his testimony, As the New York Times revealed, the President surprised Mr. McGahn by announcing on Twitter that he would leave as a White House lawyer after Judge Kavanaugh's confirmation.
Mr. McGahn, 50, is a graduate of Notre Dame and attended the Commonwealth Law School at Widener University in Pennsylvania before moving to Washington, where he worked in a private law firm specializing in electoral law. part of the Federal Election Commission for five years. He joined the Trump campaign in 2015, while Mr. Trump was a long-time candidate.
Inside the White House, McGahn was often protected by the chief of staff, John F. Kelly, who had created a buffer zone between Mr. McGahn and the president, according to the president's advisers. Mr. McGahn has also developed a particularly close relationship with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, with whom he has worked closely on judicial appointments, even after the deterioration of Mr. McConnell's relationship with Mr. Trump.
