Advertisement

Trump picks campaign lawyer Donald McGahn as White House counsel

By Eric DuVall
President-elect Donald Trump gestures a thumbs-up at the clubhouse of Trump International Golf Club, in Bedminster, N.J., last week. Trump filled two administrative posts Friday, naming his campaign lawyer to be White House Counsel and a former Reagan administration official as deputy National Security Adviser. Pool Photo by Peter Foley/UPI
President-elect Donald Trump gestures a thumbs-up at the clubhouse of Trump International Golf Club, in Bedminster, N.J., last week. Trump filled two administrative posts Friday, naming his campaign lawyer to be White House Counsel and a former Reagan administration official as deputy National Security Adviser. Pool Photo by Peter Foley/UPI | License Photo

NEW YORK, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- President-elect Donald Trump named Donald McGahn, a former lawyer for his campaign, to the post of White House counsel and assistant to the president, his transition team announced Friday.

Trump also named Fox News contributor and former Reagan administration official K.T. McFarland as deputy National Security Adviser.

Advertisement

McGahn served as general counsel to Trump's presidential campaign and will step into a similar role as the top lawyer for the White House. In a statement, Trump thanked McGahn for leaving private practice at the law firm Jones Day to serve in his administration.

"Don has a brilliant legal mind, excellent character and a deep understanding of constitutional law," Trump said in a release from the Trump transition team. "He will play a critical role in our administration, and I am grateful that he is willing to serve our country at such a high-level capacity."

McGahn is also a former chairman of the Federal Elections Commission.

McFarland has been a contributor to Fox News where she has analyzed national security issues. A spokeswoman for the network said her contract was terminated after the announcement. She will serve as the chief deputy to recently named National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, a retired Army general who was head of the Pentagon's intelligence-gathering operation.

Advertisement

McFarland ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in New York in 2006.

Latest Headlines