Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 194
What Just Happened?
Daily Beast: “There is no set date for McGahn’s exit from the White House. But for months now, his position in the administration has been shaky as his relationship with Trump has deteriorated.”
“Though McGahn is in the room for meetings involving high-profile legal matters… the two hardly talk directly to each other anymore. One White House official conceded that they are ‘barely on speaking terms’ unless they absolutely have to be.”
Donald McGahn, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for White House counsel, “fought for years to strip away limits on big money in politics long before the Supreme Court blessed the idea, and he has relied on a bare-knuckle style to defend politicians in trouble,” the New York Times reports.
“Still, it was an audacious move even for Mr. McGahn when he signed on in early 2015 as the lawyer for Mr. Trump’s long-shot presidential bid. At the time, few other Washington insiders would get behind Mr. Trump, and some were skeptical of Mr. McGahn’s decision, even openly scornful.”
“Now, Mr. McGahn stands to become one of the most powerful, if least known, figures in Mr. Trump’s inner circle.”
“President-elect Donald Trump on Friday chose Washington insider Donald McGahn to be his White House counsel, giving him the job of untangling potential conflicts of interest that the New York businessman’s presidency may present,” Reuters reports.
“McGahn, a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission, had been the chief counsel of the Trump campaign and was one of the few members of the Republican establishment to embrace the candidate.”
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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