Trump's handlebar mustache-twirling lawyer Ty Cobb is in the headlines for very bad reasons again.
Cobb recently made headlines for berating reporters in the middle of the night and for engaging with internet trolls, but his big mouth apparently carries over from the internet to meatspace.
Cobb reportedly ranted about White House counsel Don McGhan and the Russian interference investigation while sitting at a public restaurant table next to a New York Times reporter.
The friction escalated in recent days after Mr. Cobb was overheard by a reporter for The New York Times discussing the dispute during a lunchtime conversation at a popular Washington steakhouse. Mr. Cobb was heard talking about a White House lawyer he deemed “a McGahn spy” and saying Mr. McGahn had “a couple documents locked in a safe” that he seemed to suggest he wanted access to. He also mentioned a colleague whom he blamed for “some of these earlier leaks,” and who he said “tried to push Jared out,” meaning Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, who has been a previous source of dispute for the legal team.
After The Times contacted the White House about the situation, Mr. McGahn privately erupted at Mr. Cobb, according to people informed about the confrontation who asked not to be named describing internal matters. John F. Kelly, the White House chief of staff, sharply reprimanded Mr. Cobb for his indiscretion, the people said.
The "friction" between different elements of Trump's legal team apparently runs far deeper than Ty Cobb accusing McGhan of withholding information or leaking to the media.
The New York Times reports that some White House officials privately say they're worried that their colleagues may be "wearing a wire" to record conversations for special prosecutor Robert Mueller.
That's a very curious paranoia. It seems like something a normal person would not be worried about unless they had reason to believe they may be implicated in the investigation.
Don McGhan appears to be the only legal representative within earshot of Trump that's taking any of this seriously, perhaps because he has a lot to lose. The White House Counsel is not the president's personal lawyer and he is not protected by attorney-client privilege. The consequences for McGhan lying to investigators or withholding evidence would far more severe than the consequences Ty Cobb may face for pulling off his evil Colonel Sanders act at the local steakhouse.