WASHINGTON: White House counsel Don McGahn, whose time serving Presi­dent Donald Trump has been marked by tension related to the investigation of Russian election interference, is set to leave the job in the coming weeks.

Trump made the announcement on Twitter on Wednesday, ending widespread speculation about McGahn, who will be the latest in a long string of high-ranking advisers to leave Trump’s side.

“White House Counsel Don McGahn will be leaving his position in the fall, shortly after the confirmation [hopefully] of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court,” Trump said on Twitter.

McGahn voluntarily cooperated with Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his team in a continuing investigation that already has resulted in guilty pleas, indictments, cooperation deals and one conviction for several Trump insiders. Russia has denied meddling in the election and Trump frequently denou­nces he investigation as a witch hunt.

The relationship between Trump and McGahn, a Washington insider who was chief counsel for Trump’s presidential run, has become strained by the pressures of Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, sources familiar with the situation have said.

The New Jersey native had been a partner at Jones Day, one of the world’s largest law firms.

He was one of the first establishment Republicans to work with Trump, joining the New York businessman as counsel to his campaign.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2018