White House counsel Donald McGahn II has taken part in at least three voluntary interviews over the past nine months with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, sharing information about the president's anger about the investigation and more vital details under the guise of openness.
According to The New York Times, McGahn has shared information including the president's actions during the firing of of former FBI Director James Comey, and his push for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to take oversight of the probe.
The unusual level of cooperation began during a decision Trump's first team of criminal lawyers made to collaborate in full with Mueller. They said he has nothing to hide, and by sharing information, the probe would end more quickly.
McGahn and his lawyer, William Burck, were concerned about Trump's willingness for him to speak and were concerned that the president was planning to make McGahn take blame for acts of obstruction. After that, the two devised their own strategy to show that McGahn himself did not do anything wrong.
McGahn also gave the investigators a mix of information that could harm or help Trump, while insisting he never saw the president exceed his legal authority.
However, the role as a witness has strained McGahn's relationship with Trump. White House advisers say the president and the lawyer have fought often, but both do benefit from their partnership.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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