Ty Cobb, once an attorney for former President Donald Trump, dismissed Trump’s legal tactics as “frivolous” in a comment to The Guardian that was published on Monday. Cobb explained that Trump merely seeks to delay the trials until after the 2024 election.
Cobb’s Comment
“These criminal cases were started because of Trump’s criminal acts and his refusal to allow the peaceful transfer of government for the first time in US history,” Cobb wrote. “Trump’s constitutional objections to the trial-related issues are all frivolous including his claim of presidential immunity and double jeopardy.”
Delay, Delay, Delay
Cobb explained that Trump’s “major strategic objective” is to “delay” each trial. The former president has received 91 charges across four cases.
Federal Cases
Two of these cases are federal. The first concerns his alleged attempts to interfere with the 2020 election and the other centers around his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
Other Cases
The third case concerns his alleged attempts at overturning the 2020 election results in Fulton County, Georgia. The fourth case is an investigation into a hush money payment that Trump supposedly made to adult actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election.
Controversy
Trump has fiercely denied all of the many charges against him. In October he gave a speech on the opening day of a civil fraud trial in which he is accused of inflating the value of his businesses, claiming that it was a “scam” and a “witch hunt” against him.
Media Opportunity
This example, just one of many, shows how the former president has used his many charges to promote his 2024 campaign. “Every appearance is an opportunity to ring a bell, strike a message,” explained former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer. Trump is arguing that “he’s the victim of a weaponized Justice Department and he’s the only one who can change Washington.”
Sneaky Tactic
Legal analysts, including Cobb, have predicted that Trump is attempting to delay his federal trials in order to try to win the 2024 presidential election first. As president, he could pardon himself or forbid the Justice Department from pursuing the charges against him.
Delays Abound
Prosecutors are attempting to work through the trials speedily, but delays are already appearing. Trump’s argument that he should have presidential immunity for his role in the Jan 6 insurrection must be debated by an appellate court, and the Supreme Court will likely become involved.
Personal Attacks
Trump has repeatedly attacked prosecutors, including Jack Smith, the special counsel for the Justice Department. Judges in Washington DC and New York have both issued gag orders in an attempt to prevent the former president from further public rants.
Outside the Rules
“Personal attacks of any member of my court staff are unacceptable, inappropriate and I will not tolerate them,” New York judge Arthur Engoron said after issuing the gag order. Just days after the Washington DC judge, Tanya Chutkan, instructed Trump to stop making inflammatory comments about the case there, he called her “VERY BIASED and UNFAIR.”
Usual Game
“As often with Trump, he’s testing the boundaries of what he can get away with by acting in such bizarre ways,” Robert Smith, an ex-New York court of appeals judge, told The Guardian in October. “He’s acting like a petulant nine-year-old as he often does.”
Cobb Continues
“Claiming the federal criminal cases or the Georgia RICO action is election interference,” Cobb wrote, “and railing constantly about the character of the prosecutors, judges, and others, is just a formulaic game to Trump.”
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