White House lawyer Ty Cobb is leaving his position, the White House said Wednesday.
"For several weeks Ty Cobb has been discussing his retirement and last week he let chief of staff (John) Kelly know he would retire at the end of this month," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.
The New York Times first reported the news.
"It has been an honor to serve the country in this capacity at the White House," Cobb told the Times. "I wish everybody well moving forward."
The Times, citing two people briefed on the matter, said attorney Emmet Flood would replace Cobb as the President continues to grapple with the special counsel investigation led by former FBI Director Robert Mueller. Flood represented then-President Bill Clinton during his impeachment process in the late 1990s.
Cobb, a former federal prosecutor, joined Trump's legal team in July 2017.
Showdown looms
The shakeup of Trump's legal team comes as his lawyers prepare for a legal showdown with Mueller, sources familiar with their thinking have told CNN.
Trump's legal team is bracing for the dramatic possibility that Mueller would subpoena the President, setting up a collision that could force a lengthy court fight and test the legal limits of the President's power all the way up to the Supreme Court.
Mueller has raised the possibility of a presidential subpoena in at least one meeting, according to two sources. But some of the President's legal advisers are gambling that Mueller would not go that far.
Shortly before the news of his departure broke, Cobb spoke with ABC News and said Trump sitting for an interview with Mueller is "not off the table."
