White House Counsel Feeling Brunt of Trump’s Wrath

Though White House counsel Don McGahn is no longer managing President Donald Trump’s response to the expanding Russia investigation, Politico reports that he has been on the receiving end of the president’s ire. According to four people “familiar with the situation,” Trump recently blasted McGahn in the Oval Office about not doing more to quash the Russia investigation early on. That episode was reportedly a part of a broader conversation focused on Trump’s frustration with special counsel Robert Mueller’s expanding investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections. McGahn handed over issues related to Russia to Trump’s longtime personal attorney, Marc Kasowitz. “This is one of the misconceptions about the White House counsel’s office,” one informal adviser to the White House told Politico. “Don represents the institution. What is going on with Russia and Mueller are matters involving Trump in his personal capacity. I am not sure the president completely understands how these roles are segregated.”