Former Trump White House attorney Ty Cobb warned that President Donald Trump is using his power to sway the upcoming midterm elections in favor of Republicans after dismantling the bipartisan Election Assistance Commission (EAC). Cobb railed against Trump during a Friday appearance on MSNBC's "The Beat" after the president fired the last three members of the independent federal commission that helps election administration officials protect the integrity of proceedings.
Cobb: Termination Part of Deliberate Plan
“I do think that you can’t look at the termination of the Election Assistance Commission as anything other than another effort by one side to try to take over part of the referee role for the elections,” Cobb told host Ari Melber. He explained that while the EAC is not the most important federal entity, it provides funds, training, and assistance to state election officials preparing for federal elections. “They also control certain forms that can be required for states to sign in order to authorize federal funds for these elections. So it’s consequential, but it’s part of a deliberate plan.”
Trump Using Taxpayer Money to Control Elections
The former White House attorney urged viewers to take a “30,000 feet” view of the developments to see how “unbalanced” things have become, stating Trump is currently trying to use “hundreds of millions of taxpayer money” to gain control of future elections. Cobb noted that Trump lost the 2020 election by 7 million ballots but filed more than 60 lawsuits alleging voter fraud, despite then-Attorney General William Barr finding no evidence of widespread fraud.
“Now [Trump is] trying to use … multiple federal agencies, ICE, the National Guard and every federal agency that he can get control of with his own people, putting in election deniers, sprinkling them throughout the government to contest these elections,” said Cobb.
Election Deniers Installed Across Government
Trump has boosted numerous election deniers and installed loyalists at key positions in the Department of Justice. He has also tried to unilaterally change state and local election laws, insisted on unprecedented voter data access, and threatened election officials. Additionally, he is attempting to restrict mail-in voting despite using the process himself and has repeatedly floated running for a third, unconstitutional term.
“So, when we talk about the balance now, those forces are already on the field,” Cobb said Friday. “And the other side is relying on the traditional mechanisms that have kept us throughout our history, in combination with the federal courts.” He continued, “And while the federal courts have been formidable in withstanding the assault on the rule of law posed by this president, I don’t think we can be sanguine about the elections — because he is stacking every card in the deck that he can get his hands on.”
