'Give me a break!' Ex-Trump lawyer chides president's 'turnabout' against political foes

One of President Donald Trump's former attorneys chided him on Monday for pursuing a "turnabout" against his political foes.

Ty Cobb, the former White House special counsel during Trump's first term, discussed Trump's efforts to prosecute New York Attorney General Letitia James for alleged mortgage fraud on a new episode of The Bulwark Podcast with Tim Miller. The Trump administration has made similar claims about Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, even though reports indicate several of Trump's cabinet members have almost identical mortgages.

Cobb said the prosecution against James is "pure vengeance," and that it shows Trump is still "fundamentally crippled by his narcissism."

Miller asked whether Trump is right when he argues that he's doing what James did to him. James promised to prosecute Trump during her most recent campaign, according to reports.

"It wasn't hard to find something to charge him with," Cobb said. "He had committed real estate fraud at a level rarely seen in American history."

Cobb argued that even though courts have vacated damages assessed during James's prosecution, they still agreed that Trump committed roughly $347 million in real estate fraud.

Now, Trump is seeking to prosecute James for allegedly committing fraud, netting her about $50 per month, Cobb said.

"I think it'll be very interesting to see what the bank's testimony is in terms of whether anything about the process actually resulted in her getting any benefit, but $50 a month compared to $347 million worth of real estate fraud and and and impropriety by Trump? Give me a break," Cobb said.