White House Counsel Has Cooperated Extensively With Mueller's Obstruction Inquiry
Source: New York Times
WASHINGTON The White House counsel, Donald F. McGahn II, has cooperated extensively in the special counsel investigation, sharing detailed accounts about the episodes at the heart of the inquiry into whether President Trump obstructed justice, including some that investigators would not have learned of otherwise, according to a dozen current and former White House officials and others briefed on the matter.
In at least three voluntary interviews with investigators that totaled 30 hours over the past nine months, Mr. McGahn described the presidents furor toward the Russia investigation and the ways in which he urged Mr. McGahn to respond to it. He provided the investigators examining whether Mr. Trump obstructed justice a clear view of the presidents most intimate moments with his lawyer.
Among them were Mr. Trumps comments and actions during the firing of the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, and Mr. Trumps obsession with putting a loyalist in charge of the inquiry, including his repeated urging of Attorney General Jeff Sessions to claim oversight of it. Mr. McGahn was also centrally involved in Mr. Trumps attempts to fire the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, which investigators might not have discovered without him.
For a lawyer to share so much with investigators scrutinizing his client is unusual. Lawyers are rarely so open with investigators, not only because they are advocating on behalf of their clients but also because their conversations with clients are potentially shielded by attorney-client privilege, and in the case of presidents, executive privilege.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/18/us/politics/don-mcgahn-mueller-investigation.html
Link to tweet
BumRushDaShow
(126,631 posts)This could be why some of the ranting and raving!
Edit to add that Wittes cracks me up with that BOOM one because he added the comment "Sweet" to the audio.
marylandblue
(12,344 posts)Iliyah
(25,111 posts)highplainsdem
(48,651 posts)Link to tweet
Link to tweet
getagrip_already
(14,082 posts)His title is White House Council. His client is quite literally the white house executive branch operations. Trump is not his client, though he certainly does a lot of work involving trump.
But he doesn't represent trump. He represents the white house and executive branch. So he has no duty of attorney client privilege with trump personally.
As an example, if I am interviewed by my companies corporate lawyers, I have no attorney client privilege with them. I would treat any such conversation just like I would a conversation with an fbi agent. If there was ANY chance of jeopardy I either wouldn't discuss it (and probably get fired) or I would insist my own attorney be present, and probably be fired.
The CEO is in the same position,. but can fire the lawyers. I couldn't.
He may have them tied up with an NDA, but those don't apply to criminal investigations. You can't be compelled to with hold evidence via an NDA. That's illegal.
BadgerMom
(2,765 posts)Backwoodsrider
(764 posts)Really, you folks are falling for this? This is some duff dancing in the corner while team Trump has knocked off one institution after another now all we got left is the judicial and he is taking that down one honest leader at a time. Trump is accessing both his bases and us the Progressives on an emotional level. This article is no reason for high 5s its going to be gone replaced by something tomorrow when trump gives our little wounded egos something else to latch onto that makes us feel like we are better than him, while he empties out the cookie jar
Yes I chose to communicate with emotion when I discuss Putin and his agent Trump are pushing the US down off the hill bit nothing else seems to work
Bernardo de La Paz
(48,615 posts)https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=11017408
Next MgGahn is attorney for OFFICE of pres not pres himself so he has no information on what Trump does behind the scenes. The office of pres did not colluded with Russia D Trump did so MgGahn can talk all week he knows nothing because he didn't need to.
Trump has whitewashed every single document before it was releases to the GC. Remember the Cohen videos Trump team go access to them before trial, they know what they are doing when it comes to controlling information.
Remember all NDSs? Trump knows the only way him and the mob can pull off the mob taking control of western institutions is if they control the information and Trump, probably with the help of a few russkies has learned how to control information.
Finally what is the reason Haberman and Trump posted this right now? First this article has allowed Trump to control what cable news talks about this weekend and 2nd Trump can now say "see I gave up all the documents presidential restrictions on the questions the SC could as MgGahn so Trump must be innocent if they have no smoking gun". paraphrase.
Hold on everyone we are picking up speed as we near the bottom of this slippery slope
Nitram
(22,614 posts)But go ahead, moan and groan, and curse the fates. Meanwhile an airtight case is being constructed one brick at at time. thee wall was finished some time ago, now there are water-proofing it and sealing it.
Backwoodsrider
(764 posts)We could get all excited about MgGahn talking to Mueller but facts are MgGahn saw Mueller way back in Oct yet it is just released now? Also MgGahn nows nothing about Trumps illegal behavior he is not Trumps attorney he is attorney for pres big difference to the type of info MgGahn was exposed to.
Who benefits? Trump by him now being able to say 'Look what Trump did he is working with Mueller' yet we know he has no intention in allowing Mueller to complete his report but this article sure made some on the lefts day.
What is airtight is objective truth and they will come out sooner or later. The US still going to be a democratic republic when truth finally does come out? stay tuned
Nitram
(22,614 posts)attempts to fire Mueller, just for two examples? The motives for both old those were obstruction of justice, and Trump would probably have been quite clear about his personal motivations with someone who he sees as part of the Executive Branch. Trump has long labored under the deduction that everyone within the Executive Branch owes him 100% loyalty and is working directly for him. MgGhan is in a position to share "objective truth" about any number of significant topics.
Backwoodsrider
(764 posts)But cool part is with McGahn and Cohen and Stone and others I do not see how Trump can keep the facts quiet this fall so we will get to see what really happens before our eyes
Nitram
(22,614 posts)He was present at discussions but is not limited by attorney-client privilege in the case of President Trump. He could be a gold mind of very reliable testimony regarding motive. Dean played a similar role during Watergate.
Backwoodsrider
(764 posts)Did not know he knew McGahn was present for any of the meetings or knew anything else.
Lets let some time go by but yeah this looks a lot more serious than I first thought.
Zorro
(15,690 posts)and actually isn't a Trump personal attorney?
I believe this issue came up before in the Paula Jones case.
BumRushDaShow
(126,631 posts)The OP linked article pretty much indicates this too -
<...>
Mr. McGahn, who had objected to Mr. Cobbs hiring, was dubious, according to people he spoke to around that time. As White House counsel, not a personal lawyer, he viewed his role as protector of the presidency, not of Mr. Trump. Allowing a special counsel to root around the West Wing could set a precedent harmful to future administrations.
milestogo
(16,829 posts)Hence his rage at Jeff Sessions.
BumRushDaShow
(126,631 posts)DOJ = personal law firm
DHS = personal goon squad
Treasury = personal piggy bank
DOD = personal honor guard
TygrBright
(20,727 posts)...of government, NOT of the Executive himself.
It's a difficult line to walk, but there's a fair amount of precedence accumulated over time to guide an attorney in where the interests of the one leave off and the other begins.
helpfully,
Bright
highplainsdem
(48,651 posts)mobeau69
(11,033 posts)1. Isn't that last sentence that begins "Mr. McGahn cautioned..." a little bit of a bummer?
2. So does McGahn show up at the WH on Monday or what?
heaven05
(18,124 posts)Is the fix in? Way down in the pit of my stomach something tells me that it is...orange nightmare will skate, patsies and trumpchumps will be crushed under the wheels of the bus that orange nightmare is driving to our destruction. I so hope I'm wrong.
Response to MelissaB (Original post)
pecosbob This message was self-deleted by its author.
pecosbob
(7,482 posts)Important to remember here that McGahn is not Trump's attorney and Trump is not his client. McGahn represents the office of the president.
Leghorn21
(13,506 posts)How glorious and enthralling!!
Mr. Wittes doesnt BOOM as often as he used to, so nowadays when he DOES???!?!?
Have MERCY!!!
rurallib
(62,328 posts)bucolic_frolic
(42,482 posts)There's just Trump. History began with Trump. The present is Trump. The future is Trump. There is only Trump. Very simple world view.
iluvtennis
(19,716 posts)GusBob
(7,285 posts)Lost track of the straws that broke the camels back
Because the camel is the spineless GOP
groundloop
(11,482 posts)And yes, it seems like there's a daily revelation that certainly must be IT, but Spanky keeps right on dragging the country down. I was a mere teenager during Watergate and didn't pay a lot of attention to the news, but I do recall there being new revelations all the time which everyone felt would be the end of Nixon yet he seemed to hold on. Ultimately he did finally slither away, but it sure seemed to take a lot longer than it should have. I suspect Russiagate will play out much the same.
DDySiegs
(252 posts)This quote appears about 20% into the article and records the reaction to its content of the Deputy Whitewater prosecutor (who investigated Bill Clinton in the 1990s):
A prosecutor would kill for that, said Solomon L. Wisenberg, a deputy independent counsel in the Whitewater investigation, which did not have the same level of cooperation from President Bill Clintons lawyers. Oh my God, it would have been phenomenally helpful to us. It would have been like having the keys to the kingdom.
still_one
(91,807 posts)scarytomcat
(1,706 posts)He should be cooperating. Telling all that he knows, hears and is told.
tinrobot
(10,830 posts)McGahn is NOT a personal attorney.
His "client" is the White House.
Let's be clear on this.
pecosbob
(7,482 posts)making Mueller out to be somehow cheating or subverting due process. I think this was put out right before the weekend by the RWers to take some traffic away from the Manigault fiasco.
sfwriter
(3,032 posts)They said:
"For a lawyer to share so much with investigators scrutinizing his client is unusual. Lawyers are rarely so open with investigators, not only because they are advocating on behalf of their clients but also because their conversations with clients are potentially shielded by attorney-client privilege, and in the case of presidents, executive privilege."
I think this all sounds like McGahn sees his duty to the office over his duty to Trump. That's a good sign.
Takket
(21,353 posts)would understand the difference between a corporate and personal lawyer.
LOL
milestogo
(16,829 posts)I'm sure Trump does not understand the difference.