Trump-Russia mess could force White House Counsel to resign

[struggle4progress]

BY ABIGAIL TRACY
MARCH 8, 2018 3:49 PM

"What .. Trump has done here is what every defense lawyer warns their client not to do, which is talk to witnesses," Neal Katyal .. told me Thursday morning. The night before, The New York Times had reported that Robert Mueller is aware of episodes in which Trump discussed the Russia investigation with .. Donald McGahn and .. Reince Priebus. "It always looks suspicious, like you are coaching them, coordinating, inducing them — particularly if you are their boss and you wield a certain amount of power" ...

... McGahn previously threatened to quit in June 2017, after Trump asked him to fire Mueller. When the incident was made public, Trump reportedly instructed then-White House staff secretary Rob Porter to inform McGahn that he should issue a statement denying the account, which McGahn also refused ...

"That <Trump> uses an intermediary to convey a request to the White House Counsel and to suggest that if the request isn't satisfied the counsel will be fired, indicates something about how Mr. Trump is managing his relationship with his lawyer that is profoundly disturbing and dysfunctional," Robert Bauer .. told me ...

Trump's demands for McGahn's loyalty may ultimately force the White House counsel to resign, legal experts say. "If you have a president who has difficulty distinguishing his personal wishes from the institutional requirements — in other words, to Donald Trump, the presidency is all about him . . . that puts additional pressure on the White House counsel to draw the distinction," Bauer told me. Drawing that distinction may become impossible .. if Trump’s behavior forces McGahn to become legally entangled with the Russia inquiry, himself. "It is true that White House counsel technically represents the office of the president but his boss is the president," said another D.C. white collar defense attorney ... "At least since .. Nixon, presidents have hired their own lawyers to counsel them in criminal probes. President Trump seems to have blurred those lines if the stories are accurate . . . Trump’s attempt to have McGahn issue statements puts him in an untenable position since he is already a witness" ...

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/03/donald-trump-robert-mueller-donald-mcgahn

[no_hypocrisy]

1. I had a client who was in trouble with her estranged husband.

I was defending her pro bono and husband had his own counsel.

The only time I raised my voice to her and got angry was when I warned her I would withdraw from her case if she *ever* spoke to her husband. If he called her on the phone, she was to hang up and change her number.

I don't know why McGahn has remained with Trump. This kind of client is an HOV lane to an ethics panel, possibly disbarment.

[enough]

2. I keep wondering this about why he stays. But I wonder the same thing about anybody

who stays with Trump.

[Vinnie From Indy]

3. In my experience...

Pro Bono actually means "No good deed goes unpunished"!

My father, the judge, always told me that free legal advice is worth what you paid for it in the mind of the person getting free legal advice.

[no_hypocrisy]

5. He's mostly correct.

I provided stellar service. My client took it for granted.

[grantcart]

6. Trump isn't the client, the office of President is.

McGahn is basically an in house counsel to keep the office from getting involved in areas where it is restricted by law.

For example any communication between the WH and the FBI is routed via White House Counsel to FBI Counsel.

He should not be involved and should be able to side step all of the President's personal legal problems.

[RandomAccess]

4. I had a much higher opinion of him

based entirely on his job title, until he started getting press.

He's an incompetent and a lackey. Needs to be elsewhere, fast.