McGahn departs as White House counsel

Don McGahn completed his last day as White House counsel on Wednesday, marking the end of his 21-month stint in the role.

The New York Times reported that McGahn had a final meeting with Trump on Wednesday. McGahn’s departure was expected at the conclusion of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination process.

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However, McGahn’s exit comes one day after White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters told The Hill that the administration did not have any announcements on when he planned to leave.

McGahn was at the forefront of shepherding Trump’s two Supreme Court picks through the confirmation process, including Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch.

McGahn reportedly encouraged Kavanaugh to deliver fiery testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee after the judge’s nomination was imperiled by sexual assault allegations. In his opening statement, Kavanaugh blasted Democrats on the committee and accused them of orchestrating a “political hit” against him.

Kavanaugh was ultimately confirmed in a 50-48 vote.

In between his judicial successes, made headlines earlier this year when The Times reported that he cooperated extensively with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

McGahn reportedly sat for more than 30 hours worth of interviews with Mueller to discuss the president’s firing of ex-FBI Director James Comey and Trump’s criticism of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Less than two weeks later, Trump announced in a tweet that McGahn would leave his post following Kavanaugh’s confirmation.

Trump confirmed Tuesday that he has chosen commercial litigator Pat Cipollone as the next White House counsel.

Cipollone is likely to be at the forefront of legal battles between the White House and Congress if Democrats retake control of the House. Party leaders have said they intend to investigate Trump’s taxes and other matters related to the president.

While Trump is known to demand loyalty from his subordinates, the White House counsel’s responsibility is to the office rather than the president.

-Updated 8:08 p.m.