According to multiple sources, a former Bill Clinton attorney, Emmet Flood, will become the newest addition to the White House legal team. Flood's recruitment is a buzz due to his management of Bill Clinton's defense during his impeachment process from December 1998 to February 1999.
Flood will be replacing Ty Cobb who had been dealing with the special counsel's investigation on Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential Election. The switch comes during a time where the White House's legal team is determining whether or not the President should sit down for an interview with Robert Mueller, the head of the investigation. Mueller is currently investigating Trump on obstruction of justice and whether he knowingly contributed or participated in Russia's interference in the election.
The hiring of Flood is no sudden move. President Trump met with the seasoned attorney in March to discuss the possibility of him joining the legal team. Although his recruitment is not yet official, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a recent statement saying "Emmet Flood will be joining the White House staff to represent the President and administration against the Russia witch hunt. Ty Cobb, a friend of the President, who has done a terrific job, will be retiring at the end of the month."
Not only was Flood a part of former President Bill Clinton's legal team during impeachment proceedings, he is considered a veteran white-collar defense attorney having helped deal with congressional investigations under the White House Counsel's Office during George W. Bush's second term. He also privately represented former Vice President Dick Cheney, under Bush Jr., when he was being sued by a former CIA operative.
Ty Cobb advocated for cooperation with the investigation during his time in the White House, but Flood is expected to take a very different approach. If the President's rearrangement of the White House legal team means anything, it is that the special counsel's investigation is not likely to end anytime soon.
