WASHINGTON -- White House counsel Donald McGahn officially left the administration on Wednesday, according to a senior White House official and another person briefed on his departure.
President Donald Trump announced in late August that McGahn would exit after his second Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, was confirmed -- a process that took longer than planned after sexual-misconduct allegations roiled the contentious fight over his nomination on Capitol Hill.
Kavanaugh was confirmed Oct. 6, and McGahn was one of his most ardent defenders in the administration as the now-justice fought those accusations.
McGahn met with Trump to say goodbye on his last day, according to the person familiar with his departure. His successor will be veteran Washington lawyer Pat Cipollone, who has been informally advising Trump's personal attorneys for months on special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections.
In addition to Kavanaugh, Trump tapped now-Justice Neil Gorsuch for the nation's most powerful court, as well as 29 circuit judges and dozens more in the district courts.
That figure for the circuit courts, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., noted in a Fox News interview Wednesday night, is a "record for any administration this early in its term." McConnell, as well as other key GOP senators, have effusively praised McGahn for his efforts in vetting conservative candidates for the courts and giving Trump one of his most significant and lasting wins of his presidency.
A Section on 10/18/2018