Why Trump toned down his Russia tweets

[DonViejo]

White House lawyer Ty Cobb, a veteran of multiple special prosecutor investigations, helped coach the president on what not to say as Mueller ramps up his probe.

By DARREN SAMUELSOHN 10/23/2017 05:09 AM EDT

Since the end of July, President Donald Trump has noticeably tempered his public complaints about the Russia investigation, avoiding any Twitter allusions to a “witch hunt” or threats to fire special counsel Robert Mueller.

That’s partly due to the intervention of White House lawyer Ty Cobb, who since joining the administration two and a half months ago has impressed upon Trump the risks of using such loaded language when it comes to Mueller, according to a White House official and several sources familiar with the president’s legal strategy.

Cobb’s ability to keep Trump’s Russia rage under control is going to be tested in the months ahead as Mueller’s probe heats up. The special counsel’s team is interviewing current and former White House officials and campaign staffers, as well as the president’s own family members, in its sprawling investigation.

Solomon Wisenberg, a former deputy on Kenneth Starr’s independent counsel investigation into President Bill Clinton, credited Cobb for having “a very salutary effect” on Trump. “It’s one thing to have an adviser to tell you, ‘Boy, if you say this it’s not good politics, it’s not good for us,’” he said. “It’s another thing to have your white-collar lawyer say, ‘This is extremely harmful to you legally to say this.’”

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http://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/23/trump-russia-tweets-mueller-probe-244004