Former White House Counsel Ty Cobb warned that the public needs to take former President Trump seriously as a threat to democracy.
CNN anchor Erin Burnett asked Cobb on Tuesday about Trump's defense team's argument that executive privilege applies to the president who ordered the Sixth SEAL team to assassinate political opponents. She pointed to Trump's past statements praising Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and asked Cobb whether people should take Trump literally.
“I think we need to take Trump seriously, because he poses the greatest threat to our democracy that we've ever seen,” Cobb told “Erin Burnett Outfront.”
Trump's lawyers argued before a three-judge panel that the former president could only be prosecuted if he was first impeached and then convicted by the Senate. His lawyers have argued that Trump has presidential immunity from charges stemming from efforts to overturn the 2020 election, but three judges on Tuesday expressed skepticism of that argument. It seemed like
Trump, who attended the hearing in person, is facing four charges from special counsel Jack Smith related to his efforts to stay in power after losing the 2020 election. His lawyers answered hypothetical questions Tuesday about how far their claims could protect the former president from prosecution.
Asked whether the former president would be immune from prosecution even if he ordered a sixth SEAL team to eliminate political opponents, Trump's lawyer, John Sauer, said “conditionally yes.”
“He will have to be impeached and convicted,” Sauer said.
Cobb pushed back on that argument, saying the defense team was just trying to delay the case. Trump's trial for 2020 election interference is currently scheduled for March 4, and will be the first of four criminal cases against him.
“On the other hand, I think his legal arguments are being inserted just to delay,” Cobb said, adding that “accountability doesn’t exist” when someone tries to block a peaceful transfer of power. It would be very scary if we didn't have it.”
“The lack of accountability that he wants, as you alluded to, that President Putin has, that the Ayatollahs have, that President Xi has, but as you alluded to, he doesn't want that kind of America. I don't think so,” Cobb said.
Cobb also pointed out that America's founders hoped that “this country would not be a country with a king, but a country with a responsible executive.”
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