White House Counsel Don McGahn is reportedly stepping down this fall

(Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

published 29 August 2018

White House Counsel Don McGahn is going to leave the White House in the fall, probably after the midterms or the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, top White House officials and sources close to McGahn tell Jonathan Swan and Mike Allen at Axios. McGahn's likely successor is Emmet Flood, who is helping President Trump in the Russia investigation.

Flood, who worked for former President Bill Clinton during his impeachment, is seen as less accommodating than McGahn, and sources tell Axios that "Flood has — as well as any lawyer can — figured out how to talk to Trump. The president focuses his attention when Flood talks to him: Trump reacts to the authority Flood carries as a heavyweight lawyer handling the topic that potentially poses an existential threat to the Trump presidency."

McGahn has reportedly told confidants that he expects to continue helping Trump during his re-election campaign. So don't expect a tell-all memoir anytime soon.

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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.