Before Donald Trump ran for U.S. President, he was the host of The Apprentice, where he fired a plethora of reality show contestants for the series’ ratings. However, Trump might have gotten too used to sacking employees. Aside from the premature terminations within the Trump cabinet, the turnover rate in the administration is pretty swift. As the departure tally surpasses the Duggar’s titular count continues to climb, Trump needs to find a replacement for lawyer Ty Cobb, which will make the current turnover rate at 23 members (for the time being).
While it can be difficult to keep up with the current roster in the Trump administration, even with the super comprehensive Scaramucci-meter, there are a few things you should know about Cobb’s allegedly, albeit impending, retirement and who will replace him.
White House lawyer Ty Cobb is leaving his position, the White House says. https://t.co/dzdwNaUO6M pic.twitter.com/Y8QDKyJC8Y
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) May 2, 2018
But who is Ty Cobb?
Although Ty Cobb shares the same name as a famous baseball player, Cobb was recruited to join Trump’s legal team last year. The New York Times reports that Cobb is an experienced lawyer who has worked with the White House legal team since July 2017, and has defended Trump against the special counsel investigation that examined Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign for fraud and collusion.
Prior to his stint with the Trump administration, Cobb worked as a partner at Hogan Lovells, which is a notable international law firm.
Although Cobb is allegedly retiring from his role in the Trump administration, sources claim that Trump is already recruiting a replacement for the longtime attorney.
More importantly, who might replace Cobb?
According to CNN, Emmet Flood has extensive experience as a White House lawyer and has also represented Bill Clinton—during his impeachment trial of course.
Although CNN has previously reported that Flood was one of several lawyers who turned down invitations to join the legal team under the Trump administrations, sources tell the news outlet that Flood is currently a serious contender for Cobb’s newly vacant seat.
Nevertheless, it’s still quite enigmatic as to why Cobb is leaving the legal team.
Trump initially denied claims that he would replace Cobb.
USA Today reports that Cobb is retiring from his position in the White House, and apparently, he wants everyone to recognize his greatest professional achievement: his mustache (which obviously puts Captain America’s mustache to shame). However, not everyone is convinced that Cobb is willingly withdrawing from his position in White House legal team.
Back on May 2, 2018, The New York Times published an article that claimed Trump was planning to replace Cobb with Emmet Flood; Trump took to Twitter to denounce these accusations. “The Failing New York Times purposely wrote a false story stating that I am unhappy with my legal team on the Russia case and am going to add another lawyer to help out. Wrong. I am VERY happy with my lawyers, John Dowd, Ty Cobb and Jay Sekulow. They are doing a great job and…..,” Trump wrote.
The Failing New York Times purposely wrote a false story stating that I am unhappy with my legal team on the Russia case and am going to add another lawyer to help out. Wrong. I am VERY happy with my lawyers, John Dowd, Ty Cobb and Jay Sekulow. They are doing a great job and…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 11, 2018
At the time, Trump claimed the NYT piece was purely speculative; however, it seems a bit convenient that Cobb announced his departure only a couple months after this article.
Nevertheless, The Washington Post claims that it seems like Cobb might have been coerced out of his WH position (or at least fired and convinced to say the he was retiring).
Granted, there isn’t a definitive consensus on whether Cobb is actually retiring from his White House position or if he’s being fired. While USA Today notes that Cobb is retiring, there is still speculation that Cobb may have been sacked.
Regardless, Ty Cobb’s maybe-dismissal and his potential subsequent replacement, Emmet Flood, is still an uncertain territory.