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.”