Among the amazing things about Donald Trump’s presidency is the number of prominent officials from his team who’ve ended up denouncing him. These were key members of the administration who worked closely with Trump, saw how he made decisions, learned how he processed information, and ultimately concluded they didn’t want to have anything to do with the former president.
But it’s not just former White House officials and cabinet secretaries: Some of Trump’s former attorneys have denounced him, too.
Michael Cohen, of course, is the most prominent example. The lawyer served as Trump’s fixer and an executive at the Trump Organization, before ultimately rejecting the former president and describing himself as a “fool“ for having trusted his former client.
But let’s not forget about Ty Cobb, who helped defend Trump during the investigation into the Russia scandal. NBC News asked the attorney yesterday about the prospect of his former client running another national campaign. Cobb responded by describing the former president as “a disaster for the Republican Party.”
“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.”
Cobb’s statement added, “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!”
Shortly before the lawyer left Trump’s team, the then-president published a tweet that read, “I have full confidence in Ty Cobb.”
Evidently, the feeling is not mutual. In recent years, there’s been ample discussion about what, if anything, it might take for those caught up in Trumpism to conclude that they’ve been scammed. Who, if anyone, will they listen to? Clearly, these voters will not be persuaded by pundits. Or lawmakers. Or historians. Or prosecutors. Or committee reports. Or special council investigations. But perhaps they’ll consider listening to those who worked side by side with Trump, and who are now warning the public that he’s a menace?
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
Latest Post
Recommended
