Trump is reportedly a big fan of the new White House counsel. Others aren't sure that's a great thing.


Everyone, meet "Mr. Attorney."
Pat Cipollone, the replacement for former White House Counsel Don McGahn, has been on the job for only six months, but he already has a big fan in President Trump, who reportedly dubbed him with the aforementioned moniker. Whereas McGahn never meshed with Trump on a personal or professional level, Cipollone, thanks in large part to his "affable" nature, has excellent chemistry with the president, Politico reports. That has some people, reportedly even Trump's allies, worried, however.
Cipollone reportedly spends a good chunk of time helping Trump find legal pathways to accomplish some of his more controversial goals, such as declaring a national emergency at the southern border or imposing tariffs on Mexico. But some anonymous White House officials are reportedly concerned that the White House counsel's job should not be focused on encouraging the president's actions, but rather to exercise caution and temper some of the more questionable ideas that emerge out of the Oval Office. Cipollone has on occasion done some tempering, Politico reports. For example, he advised Trump in March not to change the administration's stance on the Affordable Care Act and back a lawsuit seeking to overturn the entire law. But, in general, critics within the administration say he treats Trump too similarly to a normal client. Read more on Cipollone at Politico.
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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
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