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HC Wake-Up Call: White House Lawyer Talked to Mueller, Possible Privatization of Afghanistan War & ICE Detains Man Taking Wife to Hospital For Planned C-Section

Emily Veith

Good morning, Her Campus! With a break-neck news cycle, there is no possible way for you to stay on top of every story that comes across your feeds—we’re all only human, after all.

But, life comes at you fast. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this quick and dirty guide to stories you might’ve been sleeping on (like, literally. It’s early.)

White House Lawyer Don McGahn Talked to Mueller

President Donald Trump slammed a New York Times report that claimed he was not fully aware of White House counsel Don McGahn’s cooperation with special counsel Robert Mueller.

In a series of tweets, Trump complained about the Times piece that reported McGahn opened up about Trump in series of interviews that lasted 30 hours.

“The Failing New York Times wrote a story that made it seems like the White House Councel had TURNED on the President, when in fact it is just the opposite,” Trump wrote Sunday morning.

According to USA Today, McGahn reportedly told special counsel about Trump’s role in firing former FBI Director James Comey, Trump’s criticism of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Trump’s role in the Russia investigation before he brought on a counsel to handle the investigation.

McGahn’s testimony would be central to any obstruction of justice charges brought forward by special counsel.

Trump could have invoked attorney-client privilege and executive to prevent McGahn from speaking to Mueller, according to USA Today, but Trump waived those privileges.

“I allowed White House Counsel Don McGahn, and all other requested members of the White House Staff, to fully cooperate with the Special Counsel,” Trump tweeted Saturday, saying he gave permission for McGahn to speak with special counsel. “In addition we readily gave over one million pages of documents. Most transparent in history.”

The Times report detailed how McGahn and his lawyer were shocked that Trump allowed him to speak with Mueller and thought it might be a setup so they came up with their own strategy to prove McGahn engaged in no wrongdoing.

“It is not clear that Mr. Trump appreciates the extent to which Mr. McGahn has cooperated with the special counsel,” Times reporters wrote.

Reacting angrily to the report, Trump wrote on Twitter that McGahn isn’t a “John Dean type ‘RAT’,” referencing to the White House attorney who turned on President Richard Nixon in the Watergate scandal.

“I have nothing to hide,” Trump added.

In a statement to USA Today, McGahn’s attorney, William Burck, said McGahn answered the special counsel’s questions “fulsomely and honestly,” adding that Trump waived his attorney-client privilege.   

“President Trump, through counsel, declined to assert any privilege over Mr. McGahn’s testimony, so Mr. McGahn answered the Special Counsel team’s questions fulsomely and honestly, as any person interviewed by federal investigators must,” Burck said.

Trump Adviser John Bolton Discusses Possible Privatization of U.S. War in Afghanistan

In an exclusive interview on ABC News’ “This Week,” Trump national security adviser John Bolton discussed the idea of using private contractors to help fight the war in Afghanistan, adding he is “always open to new ideas.”

“Would you consider privatizing [in Afghanistan], with using contractors instead of U.S. military? There have been some reports about that this week,” “This Week” Co-Anchor and Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz about possibly privatizing some parts of America’s now longest war.

“There’s always a lot of discussions,” Bolton responded. “I’m always open to new ideas, but I’m not going to comment on what the thinking is. That will ultimately be the president’s decision.”

via Oliver Contreras/Pool via Bloomberg via Getty Images

In a report from NBC News on Friday, President Donald Trump is showing some interest in a proposal by Blackwater founder Erik Prince to hire private military contractors to support the war.

“It is not a private army,” Prince told NBC News of his proposal for Afghanistan. “It is a very clear delineation of who’s in charge, OK? Afghan government working for a U.S. government official funded by the United States at a fraction of the cost we’re spending now.”

Prince, who heads Hong Kong-based security firm Frontier Services Group, added that Trump advisers who oppose his plan are trying to paint “as rosy a picture as they can” about recent U.S. efforts for peace talks with the Taliban.

Bolton told Raddatz that there are “signs” that talks between the Taliban and Afghan government are “moving in the right direction.”

“I don’t rule out that we’d have a change in some of the things we’re doing there, but the president’s view is that he’ll support the government of Afghanistan in its efforts to see if the Taliban are finally ready to talk seriously,” Bolton added.

“The bottom line is the security of the United States,” Bolton said.

ICE Detains Man Taking Wife to Hospital For Planned C-Section

A man who was driving his wife to the hospital on Wednesday for a planned c-section has been detained by immigration officials due to an outstanding warrant for his arrest in Mexico related to a homicide case, NPR reports.

Joel Arrona-Lara and his wife, María del Carmen Venegas, were headed to the hospital when they stopped for gas in San Bernardino, California and two other vehicles pulled in and surrounded the couple’s van.

via LM Otero/AP

Venegas told CBS Los Angeles that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials got out of the vehicles and asked for the couple’s identification. Venegas had hers and gave it to them, but her husband had left his at home.

ICE agents arrested Arrona-Lara when he could not furnish his identification.

In a statement on Saturday, ICE spokeswoman Lori Haley said Arrona-Lara “was brought to ICE’s attention due to an outstanding warrant issued for his arrest in Mexico on homicide charges.”

According to ICE, the agency’s Fugitive Operations Team detained Arrona-Lara and he is currently in custody with pending removal proceedings.

“ICE continues to focus its enforcement resources on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security. ICE conducts targeted immigration enforcement in compliance with federal law and agency policy. However, ICE will no longer exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement. All of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States,” ICE said in its statement.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Venegas said she and her husband arrived in the United States 12 years ago, and while they do not have legal authorization to live here in the United States, their five children were all born here.

Emilio Amaya Garcia, an attorney representing Arrona-Lara, told CBS Los Angeles that he contacted the Mexican consulate and the homicide charges against Arrona-Lara were unable to be confirmed. Garcia said he will be filing a motion in court on Monday to request a bail hearing and that the removal proceedings be cancelled.

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Emily has also authored political articles for Restless Magazine and numerous inspirational and empowering pieces for Project Wednesday. When she isn't writing, she can be found flying off to her next adventure, attempting new recipes, listening to one of her infinite playlists on Spotify, or cuddling with her dogs. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter @emilycveith.