>>> THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS PRODUCED AND ATTRACTED A NUMBER
OF CHARACTERS, AND TONIGHT WE
ARE HEARING FROM A MAN WHO, FOR
A TIME THERE, WAS IN THE NEWS
EVERY NIGHT.
EVERY NIGHT. WASHINGTON, D.C. ATTORNEY TY
COBB GREW UP IN KANSAS, THE SON
OF A LEGENDARY KANSAS
BROADCASTER NAMED GROVER C.
COBB.
COBB. TY WENT ON TO HARVARD AND
GEORGETOWN LAW, AND ALONG THE
WAY BECAME A MUSTACHE
ENTHUSIAST.
ENTHUSIAST. HE IS NAMED FOR A DISTANT
RELATIVE, THE BASEBALL HALL OF
FAMER WITH THE SAME NAME.
THAT TY COBB WAS KNOWN AS A
TOUGH, IF NOT THOROUGHLY DIRTY,
PLAYER WHO OFTEN SLID INTO BASE
WITH HIS CLEATS UP HIGH.
TY COBB THE LAWYER IS A SEASONED
WASHINGTON VETERAN WHO TOOK ON
AS A CLIENT ONE DONALD TRUMP WHO
WENT ON TO TRASH THE MUELLER
INVESTIGATION AS A WITCH HUNT,
AND THE INVESTIGATORS AS A BUNCH
OF, QUOTE, ANGRY DEMOCRATS.
BUT TY COBB, THE NOW FORMER
TRUMP LAWYER, DOESN’T SEEM TO
AGREE WITH THAT ASSESSMENT.
IN A NEW ABC NEWS PODCAST, COBB
NOW SAYS HE NEVER HAD A BAD
INTERACTION WITH ROBERT MUELLER
OR HIS STAFF AND WENT ON TO
OFFER HIS PRAISE OF THE SPECIAL
COUNSEL.
COUNSEL. >> WHAT DO YOU THINK OF BOB
MUELLER?
MUELLER? >> I THINK BOB MUELLER IS AN
AMERICAN HERO.
AMERICAN HERO. I THINK BOB MUELLER IS A GUY,
EVEN THOUGH HE CAME FROM AN
ARGUABLY PRIVILEGED BACKGROUND,
HAS A BACKBONE OF STEEL, HE
WALKED INTO A FIRE FIGHT IN
VIETNAM TO PULL OUT ONE OF HIS
INJURED COLLEAGUES AND WAS
APPROPRIATELY HONORED FOR THAT.
I’VE KNOWN HIM FOR 30 YEARS AS A
PROSECUTOR AND A FRIEND, AND I
THINK THE WORLD OF BOB MUELLER.
HE IS A VERY DELIBERATE GUY, BUT
HE’S ALSO A CLASS ACT.
AND A VERY JUSTICE-ORIENTED
PERSON.
PERSON. >> TY COBB ALSO SPOKE ABOUT
CURRENT TRUMP LAWYER, RUDY
GIULIANI, AND HIS EFFORTS TO
DISCREDIT THIS RUSSIA
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. >> I WAS THERE FOR THE WHITE
HOUSE.
HOUSE. RUDY IS THERE TO REPRESENT THE
INDIVIDUAL.
INDIVIDUAL. BUT KEEP IN MIND THAT YOU CAN
CRITICIZE THE STRATEGY, IT
WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN MY STRATEGY.
I DON’T FEEL THE SAME WAY ABOUT
MUELLER.
MUELLER. I DON’T FEEL THE INVESTIGATION
IS A WITCH HUNT.
RUDY AND THE PRESIDENT HAVE BEEN
EFFECTIVE IN A WAY THAT, YOU
KNOW, WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN
PREFSHL
PREFSHL PREFERABLE FOR ME, BUT THEY HAVE
RATCHETED UP THE PUBLIC’S
CONCERNS ABOUT THE INVESTIGATION
AND ITS LEGITIMACY.
I OBJECT TO THAT APPROACH, BUT
IT’S HIS CHOICE.
HE’S THE PRESIDENT.
AND IT’S WHAT CLINTON DID TO KEN
STARR.
STARR. >> WITH US TO TALK ABOUT ALL OF
THIS, CHUCK ROSENBERG, A FORMER
U.S. ATTORNEY, FORMER SENIOR FBI
OFFICIAL AS WELL, AND MATTHEW
MILLER, FORMER CHIEF SPOKESMAN
FOR THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE.
JUSTICE. MATT, I UNDERSTAND YOU KNEW TY
COBB IN A PREVIOUS LIFE.
ANYTHING THERE SURPRISE YOU?
>> NOT REALLY.
I DID WORK WITH TY IN THE
PRIVATE SECTOR.
PRIVATE SECTOR. WE SHARED A CLIENT A FEW YEARS
AGO.
AGO. I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT TY
SAID ABOUT BOB MUELLER, IT’S
WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT ANYONE IN
HIS POSITION IN WASHINGTON TO
SAY.
SAY. BOB MUELLER HAS BEEN RESPECTED
FOR A LONG TIME --
>> AN AMERICAN HERO.
>> -- AMERICAN HERO.
IT ONLY SOUNDS SO UNUSUAL
BECAUSE IT’S NOT IN KEEPING WITH
WHO TY COBB WORKED WITH IN THE
WHITE HOUSE, FROM THE PRESIDENT
ON DOWN.
ON DOWN. IT’S NOT WHAT YOU HEAR FROM THE
PRESIDENT’S NEW COUNSEL, RUDY
GIULIANI, IT’S NOT WHAT YOU HEAR
FROM HIS SPOKESPERSON.
SO IT’S AN ODD THING OF REMARKS
THAT YOU WOULD EXPECT FROM ANY
SEASONED MEMBER OF THE BAR.
IT’S JUST NOT WHAT YOU HEAR FROM
THIS PRESIDENT.
THIS PRESIDENT. >> THIS IS WHAT YOU WOULD HEAR
FROM AN ESTABLISHED WASHINGTON
LAWYER ABOUT MUELLER AND THE
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. IS IT POSSIBLE THAT COUNSEL TO
THIS PRESIDENT OFTEN MAKE THEIR
PUBLIC UTTERANCES ABOUT THEIR
CLIENT?
CLIENT? >> 100%.
>> 100%. BESIDES BEING PART OF THE LEGAL
ESTABLISHMENT IN WASHINGTON, TY
COBB GREW UP IN THE U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
HE WAS AN ASSISTANT IN
BALTIMORE.
BALTIMORE. WE KNOW A COUPLE OF THINGS, THAT
BOB MUELLER IS AN ICON IN OUR
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
AS TY SAID, AND I KNOW HIM AS
WELL, AND I THINK HE’S A DECENT
FELLOW, BOB MUELLER IS ALSO A
CLASS ACT.
CLASS ACT. AND SO TY IS PROBABLY A LITTLE
BIT MORE FREE NOW TO SPEAK
HONESTLY THAN HE WAS WHEN HE WAS
EMPLOYED BY MR. TRUMP.
>> CHUCK, I ALSO WANT TO PLAY
THIS FOR YOU.
THIS IS SEPARATE FROM THE SAME
INTERVIEW.
INTERVIEW. THIS IS TY COBB ON HIS FOMPLRMER
CLIENT, THE PRESIDENT, DONALD
TRUMP.
TRUMP. >> HE IS A VERY DIRECT, FORCEFUL
PRESENCE.
PRESENCE. HE WANTS TO GET STUFF DONE.
HE HATES OBSTACLES AND HE REACTS
STRONGLY IN THE FACE OF
OBSTACLES TO TRY TO MOVE THEM
OUT OF THE WAY OR FIND SOMEBODY
WHO WILL MOVE THEM OUT OF THE
WAY FOR HIM SO HE CAN DO THINGS.
IT’S A CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT
AND IT’S NOT FOR EVERYBODY.
BUT IT WAS A FASCINATING TASK.
>> CHUCK, DO YOU THINK THE
PRESIDENT’S CURRENT LEGAL TEAM
HEARS THAT AND THEY ARE NODDING
YES?
YES? >> I’M SURE IT WAS A FASCINATING
TASK.
TASK. IT SEEMS TO BE DAMNING WITH
FAINT PRAISE, BRIAN.
YOU KNOW, WHAT TY IS SAYING
ABOUT THE PRESIDENT’S DISLIKE OF
OBSTACLES HAS TO BE READ IN
CONTEXT.
CONTEXT. THOSE OBSTACLES ARE LEGITIMATE
INQUIRY, A LEGITIMATE
INVESTIGATION BY FEDERAL
PROSECUTORS AND FEDERAL AGENTS
LOOKING AT WHETHER OR NOT
RUSSIANS INTERFERED WITH OUR
ELECTION.
ELECTION. I HATE TO THINK OF THAT AS AN
OBSTACLE.
OBSTACLE. I THINK OF THAT AS SOMETHING
THAT MUST BE INVESTIGATED, MUST
BE EXAMINED, SOMETHING THAT --
IT WOULD BE AN ABSOLUTE AB
ABDICATION OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR
THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND
THE FBI NOT TO LOOK AT THAT.
AND THE PRESIDENT CONSIDERS THAT
AN OBSTACLE.
AN OBSTACLE. THAT’S DEEPLY UNFORTUNATE.
>> MATT, I’VE GOT ABOUT 30
SECONDS.
SECONDS. I’VE GOT TO CATCH A BREAK.
DO YOU THINK THE USE OF THE WORD
OBSTACLE WAS KIND OF A
EUPHIMISM?
EUPHIMISM? >> YEAH, AN UNDERSTATEMENT,
MAYBE.
MAYBE. EVERY PRESIDENT DOESN’T LIKE
OBSTACLES, EVERY CEO DOESN’T
LIKE OBSTACLES.
LIKE OBSTACLES. I THINK WHAT TY WAS PROBABLY
ALLUDING TO WAS THE FACT THAT
THIS PRESIDENT HANDLES HIM, IN A
LOT OF WAYS, IN THE MOST
INAPPROPRIATE FASHION POSSIBLE.
I THINK ESPECIALLY WHAT HE’S
REFERRING TO ARE THE ATTACKS ON
THE SPECIAL COUNSEL, THE ATTACKS
ON THE INVESTIGATION THAT HE’S
TALKED ABOUT EARLIER IN THAT
INTERVIEW.
INTERVIEW. >> LAWYERS AND THE WORDS THEY
USE.
USE. CHUCK AND MATT HAVE AGREED TO
STAY WITH US.
WE’LL FIT IN A BREAK HERE.
>>> COMING UP, TOUGH WORDS TODAY
FROM A FEDERAL JUDGE, AND AGAIN,
THEY ARE DIRECTED AT THIS ONE
MAN, MR. STONE, WHO HAS FOR NOW