Ex-White House attorney to testify on Trump 'obstruction'
Ex-White House attorney to testify on Trump ‘obstruction’
After stalling for two years, Donald Trump's former White House lawyer has agreed to testify on allegations that the ex-president illegally obstructed the investigation into his campaign's ties to Russia, a court filing said on Wednesday.
Don McGahn, who was White House counsel in 2017 and 2018 when Trump was investigated by independent prosecutor Robert Mueller, had fought a subpoena by the House Judiciary Committee to testify in its examination of Mueller's findings. The Mueller report said that Trump had ordered McGahn to have Mueller removed as the Justice Department special counsel in 2017, an order that McGahn refused.
When media heard of that, Trump also allegedly ordered McGahn to deny it ever happened.
Mueller's March 2019 final report also cited McGahn's testimony on other allegations of obstruction by Trump.
Despite Mueller's compiling a list of about a dozen instances of Trump attempting to interfere with the Russia investigation, in early 2019 attorney general Bill Barr declared there were no grounds to bring a case against the president.
The House Judiciary Committee, under Democrat Jerry Nadler, then launched an impeachment investigation against Trump. But that stalled when key witnesses, most prominently McGahn, refused or were denied White House permission to testify. On Wednesday - nearly four months after Trump left office - a court filing said the committee and McGahn had reached an agreement for him to testify behind closed doors.
The interview will focus on information in the Mueller report that involved McGahn, and ask McGahn whether it was accurate.
A transcript of the interview will be made public. But even if McGahn supports the allegations of obstruction, it is not clear how the committee will proceed against Trump.
People visit Lafayette Square, near the White House, on May 10, 2021 in Washington DC, the US. Photo: VCG
Don McGahn, who was White House counsel in 2017 and 2018 when Trump was investigated by independent prosecutor Robert Mueller, had fought a subpoena by the House Judiciary Committee to testify in its examination of Mueller's findings. The Mueller report said that Trump had ordered McGahn to have Mueller removed as the Justice Department special counsel in 2017, an order that McGahn refused.
When media heard of that, Trump also allegedly ordered McGahn to deny it ever happened.
Mueller's March 2019 final report also cited McGahn's testimony on other allegations of obstruction by Trump.
Despite Mueller's compiling a list of about a dozen instances of Trump attempting to interfere with the Russia investigation, in early 2019 attorney general Bill Barr declared there were no grounds to bring a case against the president.
The House Judiciary Committee, under Democrat Jerry Nadler, then launched an impeachment investigation against Trump. But that stalled when key witnesses, most prominently McGahn, refused or were denied White House permission to testify. On Wednesday - nearly four months after Trump left office - a court filing said the committee and McGahn had reached an agreement for him to testify behind closed doors.
The interview will focus on information in the Mueller report that involved McGahn, and ask McGahn whether it was accurate.
A transcript of the interview will be made public. But even if McGahn supports the allegations of obstruction, it is not clear how the committee will proceed against Trump.
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