INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
cooperated extensively with the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 U.S
election, sharing detailed accounts about the episodes at the heart of the inquiry into whether President Donald Trump obstructed justice,
the New York Times reported on Saturday.Citing a dozen current and former White House officials and others briefed on the matter, the
newspaper said White House Counsel Donald McGahn had shared information, some of which the investigators would not have known about.On
Saturday evening, McGahn's lawyer confirmed the White House counsel had cooperated with Mueller's team
McGahn answered the Special Counsel team's questions fulsomely and honestly," William Burck said, explaining the president did not ask
McGahn to refrain from discussing any matters.Also on Saturday, Trump tweeted that he had encouraged McGahn and White House staff to
cooperate with investigators.According to the New York Times, McGahn in at least three voluntary interviews with investigators that totaled
30 hours over the past nine months, described Mr Trump's furor toward the Russia investigation and the ways in which the president urged
McGahn to respond to it.The newspaper reported McGahn's motivation to speak with the special counsel as an unusual move that was in response
to a decision by Trump's first team of lawyers to cooperate fully
But it said another motivation was McGahn's fear he could be placed in legal jeopardy because of decisions made in the White House that
could be construed as obstruction of justice.McGahn, the newspaper said, shared information on Trump's comments and actions during the
director, James Comey, and the president's obsession with putting a loyalist in charge of the inquiry, including his repeated urging of
attorney general Jeff Sessions to claim oversight of it.The newspaper said McGahn was also centrally involved in Trump's attempts to fire
the special counsel, Robert Mueller, which investigators might not have discovered without him.McGahn cautioned to investigators he never
saw Trump go beyond his legal authorities.A source close to the president told Reuters on Saturday the extent of McGahn's cooperation was "a
tactical or strategic mistake" instigated by Trump's first legal team and it should not have been allowed to happen because McGahn should
have been covered by executive privilege
The person also said Trump is not worried because he does not feel he did anything wrong.One lawyer familiar with the matter said McGahn
could have been subpoenaed to testify to the grand jury if he did not cooperate with Mueller voluntarily and might have lost legal battles
if he tried to invoke executive privilege.Trump's former personal lawyer, John Dowd, told Reuters on Saturday he was aware McGahn had spoken
extensively with Mueller's team."Lot to cover," Dowd said in text message
McGahn was a strong witness for the President according to Burck and debriefs of DM (Donald McGahn)
Not aware of any of the alleged apprehensions manufactured by the NYT."After the Times story was published on Saturday, Mr Trump tweeted
that he had told White House staff to cooperate."I allowed White House Counsel Don McGahn, and all other requested members of the White
House staff, to fully cooperate with the Special Councel," Trump wrote.Trump has repeatedly denounced the investigation into whether his
campaign colluded with Moscow as a "witch hunt."Rudy Giuliani, who joined the president's outside legal team after Dowd resigned, told
Reuters on Saturday that Trump's lawyers had been in contact with McGahn's counsel after he was interviewed and possessed "emails that say
he provided nothing that was damaging or incriminating to the president."Giuliani said McGahn's cooperation with Mueller was part of a legal
As an officer of the court, he added, McGahn would have had to resign if he thought the president did anything illegal.Giuliani said he did
not believe McGahn was cooperating against the president, noting Trump's lawyers and McGahn's have a joint defense agreement that would have
been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
