White House counsel Don McGahn would like to resign later this year, sources say
White House counsel Don McGahn. Photo by Gage Skidmore, via Wikimedia Commons.
White House counsel Don McGahn is said to be mulling a resignation later this year.
McGahn has signaled an interest in returning to Jones Day, but any exit would likely be delayed, anonymous sources tell Politico.
McGahn has reportedly told associates he would like to leave the job by the summer, but he may not step down that soon.
Trump wants to choose a new White House counsel before McGahn leaves, which could delay McGahn’s departure. Another holdup could be spurred by a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court. According to prior press coverage, McGahn has “almost unilateral authority” to run the judicial nominations process.
Politico describes the relationship between Trump and McGahn as complicated. Two sources said they rarely speak, but a third said Trump still relies on McGahn’s advice. “It’s hard to explain, but I think [Trump] values Don and his advice, and part of it is that Don is probably one of the only people who’s ever said ‘no’ to him,” a McGahn associate told Politico.
McGahn reportedly threatened to resign if pushed to ask the Justice Department to fire special counsel Robert Mueller.
