Ty Cobb is a prominent Washington white-collar lawyer who in the 1990s represented several Democrats under investigation during the Clinton era. | Jerry Cleveland/The Denver Post via AP Trump’s newest Russia lawyer: 'I think very highly' of Mueller

President Donald Trump is exasperated with the Russia probes that have overwhelmed his first six months in office, but his newest White House lawyer is looking to make nice with the president’s main investigator — at least for now.

“I have a very respectful and professional relationship with Bob Mueller. I think very highly of him,” Ty Cobb, who starts Monday in a West Wing office as White House special counsel, said in an interview.


Cobb, a prominent Washington white-collar lawyer who in the 1990s represented several Democrats under investigation during the Clinton era, was hired in part to help spearhead the internal Trump White House effort to respond to the expanding Russia investigations by Congress and special counsel Mueller.

It’s no easy job, especially when Cobb's main client is apt to fume on Twitter about the “witch hunt” that has touched his closest family members, as the probes move from an examination of Russian meddling in the 2016 election into whether the president obstructed justice by firing the FBI director.

“He knows how to handle a crisis situation,” said Robert Bennett, Cobb’s longtime law partner and a former attorney for President Bill Clinton. “He knows how to deal with the conflicting tensions of congressional and criminal investigations and the media. So the whole question is whether they will to listen to him, whether they’ll follow his advice.”

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In preparation for his arrival next week, Cobb met Wednesday with White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci. Both men are new to the Trump team and both answer directly to Trump.

While Russia won’t be the only issue in Cobb’s portfolio, it’s likely to occupy a significant amount of his time as he responds to document requests from lawmakers and Mueller’s team, as well as help on the president’s media strategy. It’s possible that he’ll speak on television and on the record with reporters.

“I’ll certainly provide background willingly when appropriate, but will work primarily with the comms staff and try to make sure the message is accurate and not confusing and let them run with those kind of things,” Cobb said.

“I’m there to be a professional,” he added. “And it’s not about me. But I need to give the president good advice. and I need to make sure that anything we’re asked to do at the White House and related to any of these investigations that we do well and on time.”

Cobb is far from the only attorney in Trump’s orbit providing advice on Russia issues. John Dowd replaced Mark Kasowitz last week as the president’s lead outside lawyer handling the investigation on a team that also includes Jay Sekulow. The team hasn’t exactly run smoothly. Last week, their lead spokesman, Marc Corallo, resigned out of frustration with the operation and the warring factions of lawyers and presidential aides.

But Cobb said he had no hesitation in accepting Trump’s offer. “I was the oldest of 8 kids from rural western Kansas. My father was a navy fighter pilot,” he said. “People like that don’t say no when a president in need asks for your help.”