‘All about his narcissism’: Former Trump WH lawyer blasts attacks on rivals

CNN

CNN’s Erin Burnett talks to former White House lawyer Ty Cobb about the FBI conducting a search on former national security adviser John Bolton’s house. #CNN #News  # news #breaking #24x7

Transcript

00:00So I want to go to Ty Cobb, former Trump White House lawyer.

00:03So Ty, Cook says she is going to challenge us in court.

00:07She's not backing down.

00:08We haven't yet heard her side of this, right?

00:11What Trump says is that, you know, she checked the box on two different properties

00:14over a period of two weeks, claiming both of them as a primary residence.

00:18That's mortgage fraud.

00:19She oversees mortgages.

00:20She shouldn't be in the position.

00:21If it were that simple, obviously she shouldn't be in the position.

00:24But she says she's going to challenge it.

00:26She says that she is going to explain this.

00:28What do you see happening legally?

00:30You know, I think that she likely prevails at some point.

00:36I think as you presciently highlighted in your opening, you know, the word seems doesn't

00:44seem like for cause, which is what that law requires.

00:48Trump can't just look at her conduct and be the, you know, jury judge and executioner.

00:55I think that there's more process that's required.

00:58And I think cause historically under the law is associated with some sort of, you know,

01:03malfeasance or corruption in association with that job, not necessarily parking tickets

01:09or, you know, multiple mortgages.

01:11Okay.

01:12Just to emphasize though, as you mentioned, his use of the word seems, it stood out to

01:18me as well because Trump is not somebody.

01:20I mean, let's just take when he talks about Jerome Powell, he's a stiff, he's a knucklehead,

01:23he's evil or stupid, he's low IQ.

01:25Okay.

01:25When he has something to say about somebody, he says it.

01:28So when he comes out about Lisa Cook, he says, we need people that are 100% above board

01:32and it doesn't seem like she was.

01:34It's actually unusually, unusually careful by him.

01:41I agree with you.

01:42I agree with you 100%.

01:43It's very, it's very clearly caveated.

01:45So, so let me play an exchange Trump had with a reporter about the issue today.

01:50You know, he was asked about, you know, you know, essentially where's the goods?

01:54Where's the goods, right?

01:55So here's the question.

01:57Is your administration weaponizing government by digging into the mortgage records of officials

02:03who don't like?

02:04No, they're public.

02:07Now, Ty, some parts of mortgages are public, how much you pay.

02:10A lot of it's public.

02:11You know, whether you click primary residence may, may not be.

02:14In this case, I haven't seen that.

02:17But, you know, the reporter mentioning people you don't like.

02:20This is not the first time that there's been specific details alleged by this administration

02:24on mortgages against people who they happen to not like.

02:28So you've got Cook, Letitia James, Adam Schiff.

02:31Also, they have made allegations specifically on mortgage fraud.

02:37What do you think of that?

02:39I mean, why do you think that is?

02:40Where is it coming from, this specificity on mortgages?

02:45So I think based on my time as prosecutor, the way you would analyze this is, you know,

02:51what is the pattern?

02:52The pattern is, A, it's anybody he doesn't like, anybody who's defied him.

02:56And the mortgage vehicle is, you know, it's a little amateurish, I think.

03:01But it's sort of what your initial, what your private investigator might suggest if you really

03:06wanted to dig into somebody.

03:08So and it's not hard to get underneath some of those documents, you know, for particularly

03:13for an experienced investigator.

03:14So it's, I think it's readily accessible.

03:16It's there.

03:17And I'm sure that they've poured over, you know, almost everybody with whom they have a

03:23grant.

03:24Right.

03:24And so they've come out with these.

03:26I mean, that's why I wanted to point out Adam Schiff, Letitia James, Lisa Cook.

03:29What do they all have in common when it comes to Trump that he's made mortgage fraud allegations?

03:33I mean, his firing of Cook, Ty, comes also after the raid on John Bolton's house and office,

03:41right, who'd formerly worked as Trump advisor and now obviously is a quite loud critic.

03:47And then Trump threatened to investigate, to reopen the investigation into Chris Christie

03:51over a 13-year-old political scandal, right, that's been investigated, case closed.

03:56And he did that.

03:57He talked about that right after Christie went on ABC with George Stephanopoulos and criticized

04:03Trump.

04:04So is this basically just all connected and all about going after rivals?

04:13I think this is all about his narcissism and how fundamental it guides everything he does.

04:19Any person who defies him is viewed not as a, you know, intellectual adversary, but as a

04:25vicious opponent.

04:27Anything that he can do to wreak vengeance, you know, obviously makes him very happy, just

04:34like expanding his power makes him very happy.

04:37I think this is, I think this is something that Americans need to look at seriously because

04:42this cannot be, you know, what people in the country voted for in terms of honor, virtue,

04:49and the rule of law.

04:50And Todd, just before you go, I mean, this has got to be something you think about yourself.

04:53You worked with him.

04:54You criticize him when you see fit and you do so graciously and with fact.

05:01But this has got to be something you think about and anybody thinks about now when they

05:05come out, isn't it?

05:10I guess so.

05:11I mean, I was a federal prosecutor for a long time.

05:13I've seen some sort of, you know, real potential for retribution.

05:18I'm not, you know, anxious about it.

05:23But on the other hand, it is disarming and a little stunning that you actually have to

05:30stop and think about it.

05:32You know, it's, and I think that there are many people who, for, you know, good reasons,

05:38you know, have decided not to stick their neck out.

05:40But I wish, you know, I wish that more of them would.

05:43All right.

05:45Well, Ty, we appreciate that you do and that you always speak.

05:48Say how you see it.

05:50And I appreciate you.

05:51Thank you very much.

05:52Thank you, Erin.

05:53Nice to be with you.

05:54All right.

05:55You too.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended