The White House is blocking Don McGahn from cooperating with Congress about the Mueller probe

Andrew Harnik/AP

Don McGahn.

• The White House counsel Pat Cipollone told Congress on Tuesday that it must seek White House approval before asking for documents related to the Russia investigation from the former White House counsel Donald McGahn.
• McGahn is a central figure in the special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into whether President Donald Trump obstructed justice in the Russia probe.
• The judiciary committee subpoenaed McGahn for documents and testimony last month. The deadline for him to turn over documents is Tuesday, and he's been asked to testify on May 21.
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The White House told the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that it does not have a legal right to demand documents related to the Russia investigation from the former White House counsel, Donald McGahn.

In a letter, White House counsel Pat Cipollone added that if the committee wants the documents from McGahn, it must seek White House approval.

The move comes after the committee subpoenaed McGahn for documents and testimony last month. The deadline for him to turn over documents related to the special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation is Tuesday, and he's been asked to testify on May 21.

The White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said on ABC News' "The Investigation" podcast on Tuesday that she did not anticipate the White House allowing McGahn to comply with the congressional subpoena.

"We consider this to be a case closed and we're moving forward to do the work of the American people," Sanders said.

McGahn was a central figure in Mueller's investigation into whether President Donald Trump obstructed justice throughout the course of the Russia probe.

Mueller's team did not find sufficient evidence to charge Trump or anyone associated with his campaign with conspiring with the Russian government to tilt the 2016 US election in his favor.

Mueller also declined to make a "traditional prosecutorial judgment" on whether Trump obstructed justice, but his team laid out an extensive roadmap of evidence against the president, which included 11 potential instance of obstruction.