Former White House lawyer Ty Cobb told Mehdi Hasan on Zeteo that the U.S. is "screwed" after Todd Blanche’s narrow 50-49 confirmation as attorney general. Cobb said Blanche has shown "total fealty" to Donald Trump and warned he could be asked to suppress votes or pressure state officials. Cobb also cited a reported instruction to U.S. attorneys to follow presidential edicts and compared the threat to historic authoritarians while referencing critics' concerns about Trump’s cognitive state.
“We’re Screwed,” Ex-White House Lawyer Warns After Todd Blanche’s Narrow AG Confirmation
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Former White House lawyer and vocal Trump critic Ty Cobb warned on Zeteo's podcast Mehdi Unfiltered that the United States faces significant risks after Todd Blanche was confirmed as attorney general.
Blanche prevailed in a razor-thin Senate vote early Saturday, 50 to 49, with the final tally reported at about 4 a.m. Cobb told host Mehdi Hasan he fears Blanche's close ties to former President Donald Trump could make the Department of Justice an instrument of presidential will.
"We're screwed," Cobb said bluntly when Hasan asked whether Blanche would resist a request from Trump to fabricate evidence of voter fraud.
Cobb said his concerns include the possibility that Blanche — who previously served as Trump’s personal lawyer — could be asked to suppress votes or pressure state officials to "find" ballots that favor Trump-backed candidates. He described Blanche as having demonstrated "total fealty" to the president.
Asked about the scale of the threat, Cobb invoked notorious autocrats, naming Idi Amin and Vladimir Putin, and argued that "they're pikers compared to what Trump is doing." He also referenced critics' claims that the president shows signs of cognitive decline that could reduce impulse control — a point often described as a lack of "frontal lobe restraint."
Hasan pressed whether some Republican senators were naive to accept assurances from the Justice Department without written guarantees. Several senators had sought a written promise that Blanche would end Trump's proposed $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund." Cobb told Hasan he believed it was "a virtual certainty" that Trump could still find ways to direct funds to loyalists.
Cobb pointed to what he described as a recent instruction Blanche sent to U.S. attorneys, telling them to follow presidential edicts even in cases where historical or ethical obligations might suggest otherwise. Cobb framed that step as evidence that Blanche may prioritize loyalty to the president over independent legal judgment.
Context: These comments reflect Cobb’s perspective as expressed on Hasan’s program. They summarize Cobb’s concerns about potential politicization of the Justice Department under Blanche’s leadership and the risks he says could follow for election integrity and the rule of law.
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