'Serious legal water': Why this ex-Trump lawyer believes DOJ’s classified docs probe is connected to Jan. 6
Ty Cobb, a former prosecutor who worked as a White House legal advisor under former President Donald Trump's administration, recently weighed in with his take on the U.S. Department of Justice's classified documents investigation.
According to CBS News, Cobb believes that the investigation may be part of a broader scope focused on the Jan. 6 insurrection and previous efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
This week, Cobb shared his opinion during a podcast episode of "The Takeout."
"It is about the bigger picture, the Jan. 6 issues, the fake electors, the whole scam with regard to the 'big lie' and the attempts to…cling to the presidency in a desperate fashion," Cobb said during the episode.
Speaking to CBS News' chief correspondent in Washingon, Cobb insisted that one clue about the investigation was the scope of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) warrant for the search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla.
"The search warrant is unusually large and broad," Cobb told Major Garrett. "It's very, very comprehensive in terms of the types of documents that the government could take."
"For example, you can take any box that has a document. You can take any box adjacent to a box that has it," he said. "Those are pretty broad parameters."
At one point during the episode, Garrett asked Cobb about his own encounters watching the former president handle documents. "The president…was cautioned many times about not tearing up documents," Cobb said.
READ MORE: Trump allies attempting to 'go dark' amid exposure of search warrant details
He added, "In my own experience, I have to say, there wasn't really anything quite as consequential as the press reports that I've read. I saw him tear up newspaper articles which sadly, some staffer would have to tape back together at the end of the day. I saw him tear up inconsequential documents, but I never saw him tear up a classified document or something that was important."
When asked about Trump's legal issues, collectively, Cobb admitted that he does not think the classified documents case is his greatest threat.
"I think the president is in serious legal water, not so much because of the search, but because of the obstructive activity he took in connection with the Jan. 6 proceeding," Cobb said. "I think that and the attempts to interfere in the election count in Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania and perhaps Michigan. That was the first time in American history that a president unconstitutionally attempted to remain in power illegally."
Cobb also admitted that he believes there is a strong possibility Trump could face an indictment. "I believe former President Trump to be a deeply wounded narcissist, and he is often incapable of acting other than in his perceived self-interest or for revenge," Cobb said. "I think those are the two compelling instincts that guide his actions."
At one point, Cobb also weighed in on the possibility of Trump running for president in 2024. Although that is still a possibility, Cobb noted that there is already a way he could be disqualified from entering the race.
"There is a simple way to disqualify President Trump," Cobb said. "He clearly violated the 14th Amendment of the Constitution's Article III when he gave aid and comfort and three hours of inaction with regard to what was happening on the grounds of the Capitol. That clearly gave aid and comfort to the insurrectionists."
