Trump replaces White House lawyer for Russia probe
Lawyer Emmet Flood, who advised president Bill Clinton in impeachment proceedings, will assist President Donald Trump with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 election, replacing Ty Cobb, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said on Wednesday.
The latest lawyer shuffle comes as the question of whether Trump will agree to an interview with Mueller appears to be coming to a head. Washington lawyer John Dowd, who left Trump’s outside legal team over a month ago, said on Tuesday that in March, Mueller had threatened to subpoena Trump’s testimony if he did not talk to investigators.
Flood will “represent the president and the administration against the Russia witch hunt,” Sanders said. “Ty Cobb, a friend of the president, who has done a terrific job, will be retiring at the end of the month.”
Mueller is investigating Russia’s meddling in the 2016 US election, an investigation that includes whether the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow and possible obstruction of justice by Trump. Russia has denied interfering in the election despite the conclusions of US intelligence agencies. Trump has denied any collusion between his campaign and Moscow while repeatedly denouncing the investigation.
Last year, Flood turned down a post on the White House team that ultimately went to Cobb, Reuters reported in July. He met Trump in March about assisting the administration with the Russia probe, though the position was unclear, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters at the time.
Flood advised Clinton in impeachment proceedings in the late 1990s brought by the US House of Representatives and tried before the US Senate, where Clinton was acquitted.
Flood also spent two years in the White House counsel’s office, where he handled executive privilege-related disputes for president George W. Bush’s administration and congressional investigations and other inquiries. He was a clerk for Associate Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.