President Trump denied Thursday that pressure from the Mueller investigation influenced his decision on White House counsel Don McGahn.
The Rigged Russia Witch Hunt did not come into play, even a little bit, with respect to my decision on Don McGahn!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2018
The White House counsel was with Mr. Trump since the early days of the campaign, though their relationship was not always smooth.
Mr. McGahn often challenged the president over issues regarding the Mueller investigation, and reportedly threatened to quit if Mr. Trump fired special counsel Robert Mueller.
However, the president denied that Mr. McGahn had anything to do with his decisions to keep Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Mr. Mueller at the DOJ.
I am very excited about the person who will be taking the place of Don McGahn as White House Councel! I liked Don, but he was NOT responsible for me not firing Bob Mueller or Jeff Sessions. So much Fake Reporting and Fake News!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2018
The president announced on Wednesday that Mr. McGahn would leave his role at the White House in the fall, after the Senate votes on Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh.
Mr. McGahn spent 30 hours talking to Mr. Mueller recently, but the president said he allowed the interview to take place.
Mr. Trump insisted that his White House is a “smooth running machine” Thursday, after reports suggest Mr. McGahn’s departure signaled chaos within the administration.
• Dave Boyer contributed to this article.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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