Former White House lawyer Ty Cobb, who served under Donald Trump, offered a theory as to why the former president appeared frustrated during a lengthy court hearing on Friday via Mediaite.
Judge Aileen Cannon, whom President Trump nominated to the federal bench in 2020, proceeded to deliberate slowly on Friday in the Trump case. The Department of Justice claims that the former president purposefully kept secret documents after leaving office and impeded efforts by the government to obtain them. The lawyers for Trump have requested a start date that follows the 2024 election, but Special Counsel Jack Smith has requested a trial date of July 8.
“A lot of work needs to be done in the pretrial phase of this case,” Cannon said in court on Friday as Trump was in attendance, though his presence was not required. According to reporters in the courtroom, Cannon did not explicitly mention the 2024 presidential election in which Trump is expected to be the Republican nominee. If elected, Trump could quash any pending federal cases against him.
Appearing on Friday’s OutFront on CNN, Cobb was asked by Erin Burnett about the day’s proceedings.
“I did mention Katelyn Polantz’s reporting from inside the courtroom,” Burnett said. “She saw Trump, Ty, appear to grow impatient at three o’clock in the afternoon. That was a five-hour hearing. So, it was just before it ended. He started to get impatient, but obviously, he was there by choice. That’s a long time for him to be there. So he began shaking his head according to her reporting.”
Burnett asked for a reaction from Cobb, who said Trump may have attended the hearing as a nod to Cannon’s rulings in his favor.
“Well, I think he was there the entire time, basically as a complement or a wave to her,” he replied. “I think he recognizes, as does most of the litigating world, that she has really gone out of her way and that got her rebuked by the 11th Circuit to favor Trump in these proceedings. And I think he wanted to repay the favor by showing up.”
Cobb then speculated as to why the former president appeared to be getting antsy at one point by noting Trump’s affinity for Diet Coke.
“In terms of dynamic at three o’clock, that’s sort of– that’s a long time for him to go without a Diet Coke. So, I can see why he might be cranky, but he probably was mostly cranky about what the government was saying in terms of the political schedules are irrelevant. This case is ready to go. We can get this case done.”
