Ty Cobb, a former White House lawyer who served in President-elect Trump’s first administration, sharply criticized U.S. District Judge Eileen Cannon for temporarily blocking the Justice Department from releasing special counsel Jack Smith’s report on two indictments of Trump.
In an interview with CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront,” the anchor noted that President Trump praised Cannon as a “great” judge five times during Tuesday’s press conference.
Asked at a news conference about Trump’s use of the term “brilliant” to describe Cannon, Cobb used a pun and said, “Well, as brilliant as she is, she shines.” And the only reason she shines is because she is his tool and he polishes her religiously.”
“He gets the results he needs from her,” he added.
Cannon’s ruling came after Trump’s two co-defendants in the Mar-a-Lago documents case requested that both sections of the Smith report, including those dealing with Trump’s election interference case, be barred from release.
The extent of Cannon’s authority in the case is unclear because a previous ruling in which he brought the case was appealed to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. The court ordered a response by 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Cobb said he believes the court “may be prepared to move quickly on this issue and undo the stain she has created for the judiciary,” according to the timeline.
Cannon has been repeatedly criticized for his handling of the Trump case, ruling in the president’s favor in a motion that various legal observers described as a long-shot bid.
The appeals court also overturned Cannon’s ruling, appointing a special director to review documents collected from Trump’s home that could be protected by executive privilege and blocking their release to investigators.
Cobb said he expects the appeals court to once again overturn Cannon’s decision.
“As we know, the 11th Circuit had already had to extensively admonish her about the rules and remedies she had created for him since the Mar-a-Lago search two years ago and made it clear: , you know, she overstepped her bounds and they overruled her,” Cobb said. “I think they’ll do it again quickly.”
