FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump wears a 'Trump Was Right About Everything!' hat, as he makes an announcement on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 22, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
Attorney Ty Cobb served as a White House lawyer during Donald Trump's first presidency, but these days, he is an outspoken critic of the U.S. president. During a Monday morning, August 25 appearance on National Public Radio (NPR), Cobb reacted to an FBI search that another ex-Trump official turned Trump critic — former National Security Adviser John Bolton — experienced three days earlier.
FBI agents searched Bolton's Bethesda, Maryland home on Friday, August 22 — a search that, some Trump detractors allege, is strictly political in nature. Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney and fixer, believes that Trump is so obsessed with revenge that Bolton will be indicted on some type of federal charges.
Asked by NPR's Steve Inskeep what he thought of "the FBI search of John Bolton's house," Cobb humorously responded, "I went down and locked my door."
READ MORE: A truly terrifying plot lies hidden in this empty Trump threat
But the comments Cobb offered after that weren't humorous, but troubling.
Cobb told Inskeep, "I think anybody that is critical of the president, you know, has justifiable paranoia at this stage of the game. But you know, I think it's important, on the Bolton thing, to not overreact…. There is certainly, you know, retribution involved. There's certainly an abandonment of traditional norms of the Justice Department…. Where somebody has written a book that gets close to the line or goes over the line on classified information…. there's anxiety, there's name calling…. But it's rare, if ever, that anybody gets prosecuted under those circumstances because the pre-review process is heavily weighted against classified information getting out."
Cobb added, "And in Bolton's situation, he did submit his manuscript for review."
In contrast to Cohen — who is predicting an indictment of Bolton during appearances on MSNBC — Cobb is skeptical about the possibility of the former national security adviser facing criminal charges..
READ MORE: 'Delusional dim-wit' Trump is flailing to avoid his biggest enemy: analysis
Cobb told NPR, "I'm not sure he will be charged. I differ from others who say that he's certain to be indicted…. It certainly is the type of thing that historically, would have been handled by subpoenas and discussions with attorneys. Because keep in mind, this is something that was litigated extensively five years ago. Now, as I understand it, the White House has denied that they directed this search of John Bolton. But the White House has absolutely asserted the president's authority to direct law enforcement."
When Inskeep asked Cobb if it was "appropriate for a president to be directing investigations," the attorney responded, "Absolutely not."
"That's the sea change that people are sort of ignoring here," Cobb told Inskeep. "This is no longer a Justice Department with independent thinkers acting ethically. These people are so totally devoted to Trump and his campaign of vengeance. And you know, they made that clear when they walked into the great hall and (U.S. Attorney General) Pam Bondi declared the fealty of the department to the president as opposed to the Constitution — which is actually what their oath is for."
Cobb continued, "Same thing at the FBI. You know, the FBI is being hollowed out. Experienced senior decision makers who have years of experience, acting ethically without partisan objectives, have been removed. They've been replaced by loyalists, and now, they're gutting the qualifications of the agents — further demeaning the agency, abandoning the college degree requirement. Soon, it will be like Mayberry RFD."
READ MORE:'Insufferable little tyrants': MAGA'S newest 'idiotic' delusion blasted by critics.
Listen to NPR's full interview with Ty Cobb at this link.