Former Trump lawyer calls Mueller 'an American hero,' says the investigations are 'never going to be over'
Ty Cobb, the lawyer who represented the Trump presidency during a critical 10 months of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, says he doesn't agree with President Trump and his personal lawyers that Mueller's Russia inquiry is a politically motivated hoax.
"I don't feel the investigation is a witch hunt," Cobb told the ABC News podcast The Investigation, released Tuesday. Trump was on board with his strategy of cooperating with Mueller, he said, at least "in my first nine-and-a-half months," when "I was able to prevent the president from going on the attack against Mueller." It was when Trump lawyer John Dowd "sent out a critical tweet of Mueller and Rudy [Giuliani] joined the team that the president felt unleashed," Cobb said.
Cobb thinks Mueller will submit his final report "no later than mid-March," he said, but the investigations won't end there. Trump has "found this very frustrating," he continued. "It's particularly frustrated him in foreign affairs. He doesn't like the timing. He, you know, wants this over. But it's never gonna be over. I mean, this is going to go through 2020. And if the president is reelected, it'll go beyond that."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Calling Mueller's an investigation a "witch hunt" has "been effective in a way," as Trump and Giuliani "have ratcheted up the public's concerns about the investigation and its legitimacy," Cobb argued. "I object to that approach. But it's his choice. He's the president."
For his own part, he said, "I never had a bad interaction with Mueller or his staff." And in fact, "I think Bob Mueller's an American hero. ... I've known him for 30 years as a prosecutor and a friend. And I think the world of Bob Mueller. He is a very deliberate guy. But he's also a class act. And a very justice-oriented person." You can listen to the podcast below. Peter Weber
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Why Bhutan hopes tourists will put a smile back on its face
Under The Radar The 'kingdom of happiness' is facing economic problems and unprecedented emigration
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
7 beautiful towns to visit in Switzerland during the holidays
The Week Recommends Find bliss in these charming Swiss locales that blend the traditional with the modern
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Werewolf bill
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
Judge blocks Louisiana 10 Commandments law
Speed Read U.S. District Judge John deGravelles ruled that a law ordering schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms was unconstitutional
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
ATF finalizes rule to close 'gun show loophole'
Speed Read Biden moves to expand background checks for gun buyers
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Hong Kong passes tough new security law
Speed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
France enshrines abortion rights in constitution
speed read It became the first country to make abortion a constitutional right
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Texas executes man despite contested evidence
Speed Read Texas rejected calls for a rehearing of Ivan Cantu's case amid recanted testimony and allegations of suppressed exculpatory evidence
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court wary of state social media regulations
Speed Read A majority of justices appeared skeptical that Texas and Florida were lawfully protecting the free speech rights of users
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Greece legalizes same-sex marriage
Speed Read Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump and his lawyer Alina Habba have a rough day in defamation court
Speed Read Trump's audible grousing as E. Jean Carroll testified earned him a warning he could be thrown out of court, and Habba showed she 'doesn't know what the hell she's doing'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published