White House counsel Don McGahn is planning to leave sometime this fall, either after Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed by Congress or after the midterm elections, Axios reported Wednesday morning.
According to top White House officials and people close to the lawyer who spoke to Axios, President Trump has not decided who he’ll tap to replace McGahn yet, but McGahn has said that he wants Emmet Flood to be his successor. Flood, who worked for the Clinton and Bush administrations, was hired this spring to help manage the Russia probe. Senior administration officials hope Flood will be the replacement as well, according to Axios.
The news follows a Vanity Fair report on Wednesday that tensions were high between Trump and McGahn over the President’s preoccupation with pardoning his former campaign manager Paul Manafort. Trump is reportedly so passionate about the potential presidential pardon that he was looking into hiring a new White House counsel to get it done.
Trump has been publicly supportive of Manafort since before he was convicted on eight counts of financial crimes and has praised his former associate for not flipping on him.
I don’t know about you all, but I am not exactly surprised about this.
ETTGD (“Everyone Trump touches gets dirty.”)
Confucius say: “The coming of Flood will not stop the coming flood.”
And even though we know this, let’s let it sink in.
The President of the United States has congratulated and wants to pardon an associate of his who’s a convicted felon that lied to law enforcement officials.
Meanwhile 83% of Republicans support him. Un. Believeable.
So will he get his $15,000 a month (hush money) job with campaign and that NDA? I’m sure CNN will have him on often but not disclaim that the NDA prevents him from making disparaging remarks of The Donald…
A Manafort pardon is coming one way or another. I just hope the applicable AGs have readied their own state/district charges to levy the moment any pardon is announced. I’m picturing a scenario in which Manafort is let out of federal lockup, he deeply breathes in the air of freedom, and as he’s walking toward the car to leave a bunch of state troopers from NY roll up and take him into custody. Yes, I realize that’s just fantasy, but it may not be too far off from reality.