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Ty Cobb is no stranger to former President Donald Trump. An accomplished attorney with a signature handlebar mustache, Cobb served in the Trump White House from 2017-2018, where he led the internal response to special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.
Cobb proved to be an influential adviser during his stint. He spent many hours with Trump in the Oval Office and dined with him in the West Wing. In one respect, he succeeded where other aides failed: Cobb favored a generally cooperative posture and, for a time, the president even cut back on his tweets about Mueller’s “witch hunt.”
A few weeks before Cobb left, Trump tweeted: “I have full confidence in Ty Cobb, my Special Counsel, and have been fully advised throughout each phase of this process.”
A lot happened after Cobb’s departure. Mueller ended his probe without charging Trump with any crime. Trump lost the election, refused to concede, and presided over a rally on Jan. 6, 2021 that ended with a mob of his supporters ransacking the Capitol as lawmakers met to certify Joe Biden’s victory.
NBC News on Thursday asked Cobb about the prospect of another Trump presidential campaign bid. The timing is uncertain, but Trump may announce that he’s running before the midterm elections in November.
In response, Cobb gave the following comment:
“One thing the Democrats know for certain is that Trump’s uncontrolled ego is his own worst enemy. They are praying they are able to goad him into an announcement for a 2024 presidential run.
“A 2024 declaration of his candidacy serves no interest but his self-defeating and overwhelming need for relevance, attention and money. Such an announcement also does not inoculate him from criminal investigation.
“He is a disaster for the Republican Party for which he prevented a Senate majority in 2020 and, as time will demonstrate, has already done the same for 2022 with his endorsements of unelectable candidates all based on their loyalty or his own driving desire for revenge.
“The Big Lie has been good only for Trump and has brought him millions in donations, which some evidence suggests may have been mishandled. The Big Lie, and the related violence, election interference and other perceived misconduct, was and is an affront to this nation and its first principles. It has permanently soiled the history pages and deepened the abyss that divides our country and continues to expand due to the delusions and lack of accountability of politicians in both parties.
“It should be disqualifying for Trump and his political acolytes, and would have been at any other time in our history. To modify a well known Seinfeld quote—SANITY NOW!
“The country needs desperately to move on with new and actual leadership from a younger generation. New leadership must return to serving and championing our Constitutional form of government and its three essential pillars and accompanying checks and balances.
“Because of the grand design of that Constitution and the courage of those who preceded us, the United States has led the world, fought tyranny, and promoted peace and freedom in our two and a half centuries. Now we must unite and save our own country—right now, while there is time.”
A Trump spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
