President-elect Donald
Trump on Friday chose Washington insider Donald McGahn to be his White House
counsel, giving him the job of untangling potential conflicts of interest that
the New York businessman's presidency may present.
Donald McGahn, lawyer and Trump advisor, exits following a meeting of U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's national finance team at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York City, U.S., June 9, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
McGahn, a former
chairman of the Federal Election Commission, had been the chief counsel of the
Trump campaign and was one of the few members of the Republican establishment
to embrace the outsider candidate.
While Trump during his
campaign frequently promised to "drain the swamp" of the political
establishment in Washington, McGahn has an extensive history in the capital,
especially in conservative politics.
McGahn served for years
as counsel to the National Republican Congressional Committee, the arm of the
Republican Party that oversees campaigns for the U.S. House of Representatives.
During his time at the
FEC, McGahn was an advocate for loosening restrictions on campaign spending and
was widely praised for opening up more of the commission’s internal processes
to the public.
Along with providing
guidance on ethics issues, the White House Counsel's office advises the
president on the legality of proposed executive orders and legislation passed
by Congress and vets potential administration appointees, including Supreme
Court justices.
“Don has a brilliant
legal mind, excellent character and a deep understanding of constitutional
law,” Trump said in a statement.
Trump, a businessman who
has never held public office, has real estate and leisure holdings all over the
world, sparking concerns that his investments could color his decision-making
in office. Trump has said that he will hand over day-to-day responsibilities of
running his company to his children, but he has resisted calls to place his
assets in a blind trust.
Trump also has expressed
interest in finding a way to bypass a federal anti-nepotism law in order to
give his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, a formal White House role.
When Trump met with
President Barack Obama earlier this month, Obama advised Trump during their
Oval Office chat that his White House counsel would be an important job.
Trump has vowed to
reverse Obama’s executive orders in a number of areas, including immigration
and gun control. He also must nominate someone to fill the vacancy on the
Supreme Court left by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. McGahn will be
tasked with shepherding the nominee through confirmation hearings.
Trump, who is spending
the Thanksgiving holiday weekend at his home in Palm Beach, Florida, also
continued to round out his national security team on Friday, naming Kathleen
Troia "K.T." McFarland, as his deputy national security adviser.
McFarland served in
three Republican administrations and was an aide to Henry Kissinger in the
1970s. A strong backer of Trump during the election campaign, McFarland will
work with Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, Trump’s pick as his national
security adviser.
Neither position
requires confirmation by the U.S Senate.
The appointments came
amid reports that Trump’s aides are divided about his choice for secretary of
state, with some preferring 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney,
who harshly criticized Trump during the campaign, and others backing Rudy
Giuliani, the former New York City mayor.
Transition officials on
Friday downplayed any internal tension, calling reports of discord “overblown.”
Officials said that
after returning to New York, Trump will meet with several more potential
cabinet picks on Monday, including John Allison, the former chief executive of
BB&T Corp who has been mentioned as a possible choice for U.S. Treasury
secretary, and Paul Atkins, a former commissioner of the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
(Writing by James
Oliphant; Editing by Caren Bohan and Leslie Adler)
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