Former White House attorney Ty Cobb asserts that the “feds are coming fast” for Donald Trump and predicts that the former president will be sent to prison as a result of the investigation into his alleged misuse of confidential data.

Cobb, a former U.S. assistant attorney, was a member of the Trump legal staff from July 2017 to May 2018. Cobb told CNN’s Erin Burnett on Thursday that he believes there is ample evidence to prosecute the former president. Trump has maintained his innocence throughout this and all other ongoing criminal investigations. Special prosecutor Jack Smith is investigating Trump.

Smith is investigating whether Trump attempted to rig the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, as well as the indictment already issued against him by the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for an alleged $130,000 hush-money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign via Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen. New York Atto is also investigating the claims.

CNN reported on Thursday that the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) informed Trump that 16 records would be provided to Smith as evidence that the former president and his top advisors were aware of the proper declassification procedure while he was in office. Cobb stated that Smith would not face “significant legal obstacles” if Trump chose to challenge this in court.

“I would not necessarily expand the case to try to prove the Espionage Act piece of it because there is so much evidence of guilty knowledge on the espionage piece that all they really have to do is show that Trump moved these documents at various times when DOJ was either demanding them or actually present, that he filed falsely with the Justice Department, had his lawyers file falsely with the Justice Department, an affidavit to the effect that none existed—which was shattered by the documents that they then discovered after the search—and the many other misrepresentations that he and others have made on his behalf with regard to his possession of classified documents,” Cobb said.

Cobb asserted that the situation constitutes a “tight case” and that Trump “will go to jail” as a result. Since Trump is constantly “lying” about the law, he believes the case is ready for prosecution and does not require expansion.

Trump stated during a CNN town hall on May 10 that he did not recall discussing the documents with anyone else. He claimed that the Presidential Records Act gave him “the absolute right” to do so and that he was “allowed to” do so.

“When we left Washington, we had the boxes lined up on the sidewalk outside for everybody,” Trump said. “People are taking pictures of them. Everybody knew we were taking those boxes.”

Title 18, Section 1519 of U.S. Code states: “Whoever knowingly alters, destroys, mutilates, conceals, covers up, falsifies, or makes a false entry in any record, document, or tangible object with the intent to impede, obstruct, or influence the investigation or proper administration of any matter within the jurisdiction of any department or agency of the United States or any case filed under title 11, or in relation to or contemplation of any such matter or case, shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.”

According to court documents, NARA archivist Debra Steidel Wall and Trump attorney Evan Corcoran corresponded about providing Smith with the records on May 10, 2022.

“As you are no doubt aware, NARA had ongoing communications with the former President’s representatives throughout 2021 about what appeared to be missing Presidential records, which resulted in the transfer of 15 boxes of records to NARA in January 2022,” Steidel Wall wrote.

More on this story via The Republic Brief:

Included in those boxes were items marked as classified national security information, up to the level of “Top Secret” and including “Sensitive Compartmented Information” and “Special Access Program” materials.

About four weeks had passed since NARA initially informed Trump’s legal team that it intended to provide the FBI access to the boxes “so that it and others in the Intelligence Community can conduct their reviews,” according to the attorney. CONTINUE READING…