Don McGahn, White House lawyer, sources said

McGahn had planned to leave the White House, but a source told CNN that his departure had been accelerated after President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he had chosen Patrick Cipollone as successor. Cipollone is a veteran litigator and a former Justice Department official who served in office with President George H.W. Bush's administration.

McGahn was the lead architect of Trump's efforts to reorganize federal courts and helped preserve this conservative legacy of the president. McGahn, along with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, have succeeded in bringing two Supreme Court candidates and 84 new federal judges to court since the inauguration of the Senate. President.

McGahn, a longtime friend of new Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, orchestrated Kavanaugh's presentation to the President. Kavanaugh and McGahn have both served in the administration of President George W. Bush and have deep ties with the Washington legal community.

While Kavanaugh was elected after the charges of sexual misconduct nearly derailed his confirmation, McGahn congratulated the president and told CNN: "President Trump has remained firm, and others would have been reluctant when the situation was becoming difficult. "

His departure is another among the handful of great advisers who worked on the Trump campaign before joining the White House. McGahn was the lead advocate for the Trump campaign throughout the first election of the GOP and the 2016 presidential election, becoming a trusted advisor to the future president.

But McGahn immediately faced the controversy at his White House debut, beginning with the warning of Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, according to which Michael Flynn, then National Security Advisor, might be subject to blackmail of Russia and that he would probably have lied to Vice President Mike Pence. Flynn was forced to resign after news revealed that Yates had warned McGahn of Flynn's behavior.

While the Justice Ministry and congressional investigations into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election were warming up, McGahn found himself increasingly at the center of Trump's response and the White House at the inquiry.

And when Attorney General Jeff Sessions faced pressure to recuse himself, Trump asked McGahn to urge him not to take this step. The sessions finally recused themselves, giving his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, the ultimate power to appoint a special council.

McGahn threatened to resign in the summer of 2017 after Trump ordered him to fend off Robert Mueller, the special lawyer charged with investigating a possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the electoral interference. of Russia and the issues of obstruction of justice.

For McGahn, the president's order to fire Mueller was a bridge too far away – the White House lawyer having refused to follow through with the order, told CNN a person familiar with the situation. # 39; s case. The New York Times first announced the departure of Trump for the purpose of firing Mueller and McGahn 's refusal to execute that order.

The numerous incidents involving the President and McGahn in the midst of the investigation over Russia have made the White House lawyer an important witness to Mueller's investigation. McGahn appeared in December for talks with Mueller's team.

Trump was caught off guard and troubled by the disclosure that McGahn had largely cooperated with Mueller's investigation and participated in several 30-hour interviews over the past nine months. Trump did not know the full extent of McGahn's discussions, two people told him.

Prior to joining Trump and the White House, McGahn worked for the Jones Day law firm and was a commissioner on the Federal Election Commission.