WASHINGTON — Former White House counsel Don McGahn told lawmakers in a closed-door interview last week that he regarded President Donald Trump’s demand to have special counsel Robert Mueller fired as “a point of no return” for the administration if carried out.
That's according to a 241-page transcript released Wednesday.
McGahn resisted Trump’s directive that McGahn contact then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to press for Mueller’s removal from the Russia investigation.
He told the House Judiciary Committee it seemed “an inflection point” that would have prompted Rosenstein either to fire Mueller or resign himself.
Trump repeatedly denied efforts to fire Mueller amid the 22-month-long inquiry, which concluded in 2018.
“So, you know, it was disappointing that he’d come out and say, 'oh, it was never on the table' when, certainly, at least the conflict of interest issue and whether that would preclude Mueller from being special counsel, certainly was discussed," McGahn toldlawmakers earlier this month.
Trump alleged Mueller had conflicts of interest that should have disqualified him from serving as special counsel.
McGahn’s hours-long appearance before the committee last Friday covered many of the episodes at the center of Mueller’s investigation into whether Trump had obstructed justice.
