White House counsel Donald McGahn reportedly sometimes has a fraught relationship with President Donald Trump and calls him "King Kong" behind his back.

The New York Times reported several current and former White House officials said McGahn was frustrated by Trump's "volcanic anger" and frequent outbursts.

The report also revealed that McGahn has sat for over 30 hours of questioning by special counsel Robert Mueller's team as part of their look at possible obstruction of justice by Trump.

White House counsel Donald McGahn reportedly has a somewhat fraught relationship with President Donald Trump and calls him "King Kong" behind his back.

The New York Times reported that the nickname came from McGahn's frustration with Trump's "volcanic anger" and frequent outbursts, citing several current and former White House officials.

The White House contradicted the account, telling The Times that McGahn and Trump have a supportive relationship that's productive for the administration.

"The president and Don have a great relationship," press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said in a statement to The Times. "He appreciates all the hard work he's done, particularly his help and expertise with the judges, and the Supreme Court."

However, the same report revealed that McGahn, who was appointed in May 2017, is a central figure in the special counsel Robert Mueller's look into whether Trump sought to obstruct justice in the FBI's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election.

The Times detailed Trump's misunderstanding that McGahn is his personal lawyer who would act as an advocate as the probe developed, when instead, McGahn gave Mueller a detailed account of his knowledge about Trump's efforts to assert more control over the investigation.