Trump does not want McGahn to testify never, ever
(Red Line moment)
Source of
a very serious reminder of an incident that clearly shows Trump’s abuse of power, obstruction of
justice, and possible witness tampering (e.g., preventing a witness from
testifying).
Trump’s
former White House counsel (and note: Not
his personal attorney), Don McGahn, at one point refused the Trump’s order
to help push Mueller out of his post as the special counsel investigating
Russia's attack on the 2016 election, which favored Trump.
In the
summer of 2017, Trump was angry about Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein's handling of
the Mueller team and tried to enlist McGahn in getting rid of the special
counsel.
In one conversation, Trump allegedly told McGahn: “Call
Rod, tell Rod that Mueller has conflicts and can't be the Special Counsel.”
Later in that same day he contacted McGahn
at his home and said: “Mueller has to
go. ... Call me back when you do it.”
In a tweet, Trump denied asking McGahn to fire Mueller.
Earlier this
month, CNN reported that sources said that Trump asked McGahn to
declare that the President didn't obstruct justice but that the former White
House counsel refused.
As Mueller
reported, McGahn and others in the White House knew that Trump was upset that
he didn't have a tough-guy lawyer like the infamous and scurrilous Roy Cohn who
was his personal attorney for years. That he wanted the White House counsel to play
this role was clear. So was the danger that would arise if McGahn acquiesced.
Eventually
disbarred by a NYS State Court, Cohn first gained infamy as chief henchman for Senator Joe McCarthy (R-WI) during his
persecution of government officials during the 1950’s calling them all
communists. After leaving Washington in disgrace Cohn made a new career in NY.
He represented
among others, organized crime figures, and businessman Donald J. Trump. Trump
used Cohn to intimidate foes, and potential foes. Trump, according to a NY Times
profile, kept a photo of Cohn and took it out to show people
the kind of attorney he employed.
More
recently, exasperated Trump asked White House officials, where’s my Roy Cohn? Mueller would report that Trump
was troubled by signs that McGahn was a kind of anti-Cohn.
During one exchange
preserved by the special counsel Trump reportedly noticed McGahn jotting notes and he said: “What
about these notes? Why do you take notes? Lawyers don't take notes, I never had
a lawyer who took notes.”
The report said: “McGahn responded that
he keeps notes because he is a real lawyer and explained that notes create a record
and are not a bad thing.”
To that, Trump replied: “I've
had a lot of great lawyers, like Roy Cohn. He did not take notes.”
Always
fact-resistant, Trump has long sought to control what others know about
everything from his behavior to his financial conditions, which explains his
predilection for imposing non-disclosure agreements on employees and his
determination to keep his tax returns secret.
A “real
lawyer” like Don McGahn, who knew his client was the office of the President
and not the person of Donald J. Trump, held to the lawyerly habit of
note-taking because he knew that documentation could be in the public interest.
My 2 cents: This explains why Trump is scared
out of his wits about McGahn testifying and thus has ordered him not to
testify. That is obstruction of justice blatantly and – no question about it,
proof positive.
Stay tuned. McGahn may still have a change of heart
and testify if in fact he truly is a “real lawyer” with some scruples. We shall
see.
Thanks for stopping by.
No comments:
Post a Comment