Trouble brewing between Gen. John Kelly and Donald Trump’s attorney
Donald Trump’s White House staff has been consistently defined by its inconsistency. Senior advisers have feuded with each other in power struggles. More than a dozen of them have resigned or been forced out. Controversy has ruled the day, thanks to Trump’s lack of leadership and inability to hire suitable people. Now there’s trouble between General John Kelly, the one supposed stabilizing force in the White House, and Trump’s own attorney.
Trump brought on attorney Ty Cobb to represent him in the Russia scandal, but tried to save a buck by technically hiring him as a White House lawyer. Cobb has gone on to embarrass Trump and the White House in various ways, including an incoherent late night email feud with a stranger. But Cobb’s biggest debacle came when he was overheard sitting in a restaurant and loudly complaining about White House Counsel Don McGahn, who is also unofficially representing Trump in the Russia scandal.
Because Ty Cobb is technically a White House employee, he’s an underling of John Kelly. After McGahn got word that Cobb had been blabbing about him in public, McGahn “erupted” at Cobb, according to a New York Times report (link). By the end of the confrontation, it fell to Kelly to sort out the mess. Kelly “sharply reprimanded” Cobb for the public mess he had created. This sets up yet another trouble spot, which could lead to a high profile departure.
John Kelly officially has the authority to fire Ty Cobb. Donald Trump could overrule him, of course. But Trump didn’t intervene when Kelly recently fired other Trump darlings such as Anthony Scaramucci. So it wouldn’t be a shock to see Kelly fire Cobb, and in the process, take away one of Trump’s attorneys in the Russia scandal. Trump surely doesn’t want that to happen – but he appears to be too afraid of Kelly to overrule him on these matters.
