Day 841: NYT: WH begging former counsel McGahn to publicly claim Trump never obstructed justice

Former White House lawyer Don McGahn played a prominent role in the Robert Mueller probe. His dealings with Donald Trump were heavily detailed in Mueller’s final report. Many of his interactions with Trump were discussed during the detailing of potential obstruction of justice. McGahn threatened to resign after at least one request from Trump that he deemed illegal.

Ironically, if Trump skates on obstruction of justice, it is likely because people like McGahn disobeyed Trump’s orders.

Now, the White House is pressuring McGahn — with one request coming directly from Trump — to publicly declare Trump innocent of any wrongdoing that could be construed as obstruction. The longtime Republican has refused, according to a report by The New York Times.

White House officials asked at least twice in the past month for the key witness against President Trump in the Mueller report, Donald F. McGahn II, to say publicly that he never believed the president obstructed justice, according to two people briefed on the requests.

Mr. Trump asked White House officials to make the request to Mr. McGahn, who was the president’s first White House counsel, one of the people said. Mr. McGahn declined. His reluctance angered the president, who believed that Mr. McGahn showed disloyalty by telling investigators for the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, about Mr. Trump’s attempts to maintain control over the Russia investigation.

Notably, Trump and the White House are not pushing back on the substance of what McGahn told Mueller, but rather that he said it all. That’s what’s causing Trump’s ire.

In the days after the report was released, White House officials asked Mr. McGahn again to put out a statement as Mr. Trump fumed about his disclosures but Mr. McGahn rebuffed the second request as well.

Democrats have subpoenaed McGahn to testify before the House Judiciary Committee, but the White House has already indicated that they will seek to block the testimony and the production of numerous documents in McGahn’s possession.

841 days in, 621 to go

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