Trump inclined to pick Emmet Flood for White House counsel: report

by Megan Keller - 09/11/18 6:18 PM ET

President Trump is inclined to choose Emmet Flood to replace Don McGahn as the White House counsel, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal Tuesday.

The president this weekend told associates that he wants Flood to succeed McGahn, sources told the Journal.

The newspaper additionally reported that Flood wants to be able to configure the office as he thinks it should be, according to sources familiar with the matter.

“I want to be able to run the show,” one person characterized Flood’s desires for the office.

{mosads}The paper also reports that chief of staff John Kelly has asked the president to take his time with his decision regarding McGahn’s replacement.

Trump privately expressed a wish for tough-minded lawyers who are well aware of his interests, according to the Journal.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told the Journal that there were “no announcements at this time.”

A former Senate GOP aide told The Hill last week that some conservatives have pushed back against Flood, arguing that he has not proven his commitment to conservative legal principles.

Flood, who advised President Clinton during his impeachment process, is better known as a defense and impeachment specialist.

Democrats have shown an interest in impeaching the president if they take back Congress in the midterms.

Ty Cobb, who Flood succeeded when he entered the Trump legal team, praised Flood’s ability to defend Trump from that possibility.

“I strongly favor the selection of Emmet given his skill and experience and the fact that he’s battled investigations from the White House before—because that’s what will be coming,” Cobb told the Journal.

Some conservatives, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) have expressed displeasure with the president’s announcement that McGahn will leave his position this fall.

“U can’t let that happen,” Grassley tweeted to the president last month.