President Donald Trump has added a special counsel to the White House staff as he continues to face scrutiny over allegations his campaign may have colluded with Russia during the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.
Trump tapped Ty Cobb, partner in the investigations practice of D.C. law firm Hogan Lovells, to be special counsel, even as the president continues to dismiss the drumbeat of media revelations as "fake news" driven by Democrats looking to delegitimize his presidency. Cobb's firm also has a strong communications practice.
Lanny Davis, former special counsel to President Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal that resulted in impeachment proceedings, had some crisis management advice for Cobb in an op ed: "Tell it early, tell it all, tell it yourself."
Davis said Clinton agreed with that proactive strategy and that Cobb will need Trump to "authorize [Cobb] to call in all reporters, with all the relevant documents, dump them in the middle of a conference room, and tell them: Read them, ask me all your questions, and go write."
That sounds like a tall order for a current president who continues to attack negative stories as "fake news" that is a threat to the Republic.
