Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump made it clear he wanted the gag order lifted on an undercover informant who played a critical role in an FBI investigation into Russian efforts to gain influence in the uranium industry in the United States during the Obama administration, according to two sources familiar with the President's actions.

The President directed his senior staff "to facilitate the Justice Department's full cooperation with Congress to lift the gag order," one of the sources said. The sources said White House counsel Don McGahn then relayed the message to the Justice Department.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, publicly called on the Justice Department last week to lift the nondisclosure agreement preventing the informant from speaking to Congress.

One of the sources said that "when Grassley expressed interest in having (the informant) as a witness, the President wanted to ensure he could."

The Justice Department has strict rules limiting the White House's involvement in criminal law enforcement matters. Any involvement by the White House counsel in the decision is unusual, particularly because it relates to the President's political opponents.

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