Trump Justice Department reportedly subpoenaed records of Trump's White House counsel in 2018

Don McGahn
(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The Justice Department was apparently quite busy issuing controversial subpoenas in February 2018, secretly seeking phone and email records of journalists, members of Congress and their staff, and — several news organizations reported Sunday — the president's own White House counsel, Don McGahn. Apple informed McGahn and his wife last month that it had complied with a Feb. 23, 2018, subpoena for information about accounts that belong to them, The New Your Times first reported. The company did not tell them what information it turned over to the Justice Department and said it was barred from informing them earlier.

The Times and The Associated Press called the DOJ's decision to secretly seize a sitting White House counsel's data "extraordinary," while The Washington Post called it "striking." But the news organizations could only speculate as to why the Trump administration wanted McGahn's records.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.