LEGAL/RUSSIA INVESTIGATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “White House counsel Don McGahn’s office is just one floor up from the Oval, but it might as well be miles away. In recent months, the president has sometimes gone days — or longer — without having substantial conversations with McGahn as their relationship has grown increasingly strained, according to two people familiar with the matter…People who know both men said their mutual frustrations are often manifested in silence, rather than massive blow-ups. But the two have also had several heated clashes that often stemmed from Trump’s steadfast belief that McGahn hasn’t done enough to minimize the Russia investigation, according to four current and former administration officials and others close to both men. One outside associate of McGahn’s said it always bothered Trump that McGahn was ‘his own man and wouldn’t kowtow to him.’ McGahn’s eventual departure — whether after the midterms or after the anticipated confirmation of Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh — has long been seen as a foregone conclusion in the White House. But McGahn and others close to the president were nevertheless surprised when Trump tweeted about it on Wednesday [8-29-18], according to two people close to the White House, ensuring that McGahn would have no choice but to go.”
–Andrew Restuccia, Nancy Cook and Elana Schor, “‘They just kind of avoided each other’: How Trump and McGahn’s partnership collapsed,” Politico, August 29, 2018 10:37 am