Kushner may drive out White House counsel Don McGahn -- who is ready to resign

West Wing officials were worried the White House Counsel Don McGahn might resign if President Donald Trump gives free rein to son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner.

"Mr. McGahn expressed concern that meetings between Mr. Kushner and Mr. Trump could be construed by investigators as an effort to coordinate their stories," The Wall Street Journalreports. "Two senior White House officials—then-Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and former chief strategist Steve Bannon —urged Mr. McGahn not to resign, according to people familiar with the conversations."

Kushner is a top link in special counsel Robert Mueller's probe of possible Trump campaign Russian collusion and/or Trump administration obstruction of justice.

"Mr. McGahn’s concerns from earlier in the summer illustrate the disruption and tension that special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe is causing in the West Wing and how the White House’s legal strategy has evolved to respond to the probe," The Journal noted. "Some members of Mr. Trump’s legal team in June concluded Mr. Kushner should step down and aired their concerns to the president, The Wall Street Journal has reported. Their concern was that if Mr. Kushner were to speak to the president or White House colleagues about the Russia investigation, Mr. Mueller could seek testimony about what was said."

John Kelly has also been frustrated by Kurshner.

Adding to Kushner's problems is the fact his private email server has likely been compromised by foreign spies.

"You really want to minimize direct contact between someone that’s involved in an investigation and the president of the United States," former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales told The Journal.