Trump administration White House lawyer Ty Cobb believes the former president is “in serious legal water” and that the investigation into the Mar-a-Lago papers is part of a broader inquiry into crimes relating to the Capitol riot and efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
He also thinks that the former president’s actions on January 6 could see him barred from running for the presidency ever again.
Speaking to CBS News podcast The Takeout, Mr Cobb said: “It is about the bigger picture, the January 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.”
Mr Cobb says he came to this conclusion because of the broad scope of the search warrant that allowed FBI agents to enter Donald Trump’s Palm Beach home.
“The search warrant is unusually large and broad,” the former federal prosecutor told CBS chief Washington correspondent 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 added. “Those are pretty broad parameters.”
Regarding the former president’s legal prospects, Mr Cobb said: “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 January 6 proceeding.”
“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,” he added.
Mr Cobb believes the possibility of an indictment against Mr Trump is “very high”.
Regarding the motives of the former president for denying the outcome of the 2020 election and attempting to overturn the results, Mr Cobb said: “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.”
He added: “I think those are the two compelling instincts that guide his actions.”
Further, Mr Cobb thinks that Mr Trump’s actions on 6 January 2021 could lead him to being barred from running for the presidency again.
“There is a simple way to disqualify President Trump,” Mr 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.”
Mr Cobb represented the White House during special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into suspected collusion with Russia in the run-up to the 2016 election. No charges were filed against Mr Trump in that inquiry.
