Former White House lawyer Ty Cobb said former President Donald Trump’s “off the rails” comments about his pending court cases could lead him to prison.
“It’s much like what he did on Jan. 6. It continues to be off the rails in terms of the extent to which his invective infects these proceedings and is the potential to intimidate witnesses,” Mr. Cobb said on CNN Tuesday.
“I believe that, you know, at some point, comments like this will result in Trump not only being sanctioned … but at some point these types of comments will result in him being put in jail pending some of these trials,” he said.
The former president is facing four criminal trials for allegedly mishandling classified documents in Florida, trying to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia and Washington, and giving hush money payments to cover up an affair in New York. He has a civil trial in New York brought on by Attorney General Letitia James alleging that he and his company misled banks, insurers and others by exaggerating his net worth to get larger loans and better insurance rates.
Mr. Trump and his attorneys face a limited gag order in his civil case that stops him from talking about the judge and his team and the witnesses involved. He also has a gag order against him for his 2020 election case in Washington, but it’s paused pending an appeal.
Despite already having been fined $15,000 for violating the gag order in New York twice, Mr. Trump continues to engage in those types of actions. On Tuesday, he shared a post from a user on Truth Social that said a “fantasy” would be to see Ms. James and Mr. Engoron under citizen’s arrest for “blatant election interference and harassment.”
Mr. Cobb, who was a lawyer in the Trump administration, said the former president’s “petty dictator-type talk” disparages him and the United States.
If Mr. Trump wins the 2024 election, any of his pending cases could be put on pause, according to Mr. Cobb, because a federal rule says a sitting president cannot be indicted or prosecuted during his term.
“I think it’s likely a court may rule that they’d have to wait until the end of his term to finish the prosecution of him,” he said.
The Washington Times reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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