Former White House counsel Don McGahn, far right. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Some of the most damning crimes in the Mueller report come via former White House counsel Don McGahn, who was directed to obstruct justice by President Trump (but declined to carry out his illegal orders). McGahn testified about these orders to Mueller, thereby surrendering any claim the White House would have to keep the conversations private as part of executive privilege. The White House is nonetheless blocking McGahn from testifying to Congress.

ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos asked Trump about McGahn’s testimony in an interview this week. Trump called his former counsel a liar. “The story on that very simply, No. 1, I was never going to fire Mueller. I never suggested firing Mueller,” he said. When asked why McGahn would lie, Trump said, “Because he wanted to make himself look like a good lawyer.” Pressed again, Trump denied ever having told McGahn to fire Mueller.

So the White House maintains the following:

1.) The Mueller report exonerates Trump, and any attempt to follow up on its findings is a “do-over,” and thus unfair.

2.) One of the most damning charges in the Mueller report, detailing Trump’s efforts to obstruct justice, is a lie.

3.) The witness who testified under oath to that charge cannot be allowed to testify to Congress.

The Mueller report shows no obstruction of justice, and the obstruction it shows is fake, and Congress can’t hear from a person who testified about obstruction. We just have to take Trump’s word on this, even though his words contradict other words of his. Just what you’d expect an innocent person to say, basically.