Ex-White House lawyer Ty Cobb says Mueller could not have "done a more thorough job"
Ty Cobb, the former White House lawyer who handled President Trump's response to Russia-related matters from 2017 to 2018, told CBSN's "Red & Blue" on Thursday that special counsel Robert Mueller could not "have done a more thorough job" in his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
"I think the resulting report is professional, thorough. He has probably 10 times the tools, if 100 times the tools, to investigate as Congress does, and I don't think he could have done a more thorough job, with the thousands of interviews, subpoenas and the millions of documents reviewed and the 500 witnesses that they talked to," Cobb said.
Attorney General William Barr released a redacted version of Mueller's report Thursday morning. Cobb said he believed the report was accurately represented in a letter Barr sent to Congress on March 24, in which he summarized the main findings of the Mueller report.
"I think the initial summary compares very favorably with the report," Cobb said. He also said he thought it was appropriate for Mr. Trump's personal lawyers to review the report before it was released to the public.
"The law is very clear that under the Ethics and Government Act, somebody who is the subject of a report like this has the opportunity to review and comment in advance," Cobb said. He added it was "highly unusual" for Mr. Trump's current legal team to decide against invoking executive privilege, citing the move as evidence of Mr. Trump's desire for transparency.
Cobb left the White House after announcing his retirement in May 2018.
Mr. Trump declared victory Thursday, claiming the report exonerated him of any wrongdoing and confirmed there was "no collusion" and "no obstruction."
"I'm having a good day too. It was called, no collusion, no obstruction," the president said at an unrelated event Thursday morning.
While the special counsel's office found no evidence of collusion between Trump campaign officials and individuals associated with the Russian government, Mueller did not come to a determination as to whether Mr. Trump obstructed justice. However, the report did say Congress could investigate obstruction of justice.
Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein determined that Mr. Trump had not obstructed justice so based on the evidence presented in the report.