Update: White House Counsel McGahn Was Fired

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 23: White House Counsel Don McGahn heads into a meeting with Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill August 23, 2018 in Washington, DC. President Donald Trump's pick to replace the retiring Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court, Kavanaugh is meeting with Republican and Democratic senators ahead of his September confirmation hearing. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Despite earlier reports coming from the Trump administration that White House lawyer Don McGahn had departed of his own accord, new accounts say he was fired.

So McGahn was fired. Was the 30 hours he spent speaking with Mueller a factor? The circumstances around McGahn's departure could have legal significance in the future. https://t.co/enSmXYAB5V

— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) August 29, 2018

Just like some previous personnel moves, the employee in question found he was out via Donald Trump’s twitter feed. But in public, Trump continued to defend and spin the now former White House counsel.

In response to press questions, Pres Trump says WH Counsel Don McGahn is "a really good guy" and has "done an excellent job. Says he's not concerned about the testimony McGahn gave to the office of special counsel Robert Mueller. "I had to approve it," says @POTUS. pic.twitter.com/RGBYfR2nNG

— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) August 29, 2018

Remember, McGahn was interviewed by Mueller’s team for more than 30 hours.

Trump gave McGahn no heads up before tweeting that he would be out this fall, according to someone who has spoken to McGahn. They had been discussing his plan to leave sometime post-Kavanagh confirmation but McGahn was blindsided (tho not surprised) by the announcement.

— Julie Davis (@juliehdavis) August 29, 2018

So, look at this scenario as laid out by a former federal prosecutor. Wow.

Imagine a potential closing argument:

Trump fired Comey because he wouldn't "let Flynn go.""
Trump fired McGahn because he cooperated with law enforcement.
Trump fired Sessions because he refused to shut down the investigation.

Trump's lawyers want to avoid this scenario.

— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) August 29, 2018