Trump Ex-Lawyer Ty Cobb Warns New AG Todd Blanche Will Mimic Hitler's 1934 Power Grab To Target Midterm Ballots

A lawyer who once defended Donald Trump has warned that new US Attorney General Todd Blanche would 'readily seize voting machines and ballots' before November's midterms, likening the president's grip on power to Adolf Hitler's in 1934.

A Warning From Inside Trump's Orbit

Ty Cobb, who served as special counsel in Trump's first White House, delivered the warning on Monday during CNN's evening programme 'OutFront'. Cobb, who once defended Trump during the Russia investigation, has become one of the president's sharpest critics since leaving the administration.

Asked about an image of Blanche being sworn in by federal appeals judge Emil Bove, Cobb reached for a stark historical parallel.

'I think there was a summer night in 1934 when Hitler consolidated his power, surrounded by Himmler, Göring, and Goebbels,' he told host Erin Burnett. 'This is reminiscent of that to me.'

Cobb named Blanche, Bove, White House aide Stephen Miller, and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel as what he called an 'axis of evil' positioned to threaten free elections in November.

The Prediction Buried in the Soundbite

Behind the Nazi comparison sat a sharper, more specific claim. Cobb argued that Blanche, unlike former attorney general Bill Barr, would 'readily seize voting machines and ballots', and said he suspected Trump would ask him to do so.

Barr, who led the Department of Justice during Trump's first term, publicly rejected claims of widespread fraud after the 2020 election and resisted pressure to overturn the result. Cobb's point was that Blanche has shown no such independence.

'We all know Todd Blanche is going to do whatever the president asked. That's his history,' Cobb said.

A New Attorney General Under Scrutiny

Blanche took office at a tense moment. The Senate confirmed him in a 50-49 vote early Saturday, with Republicans Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski joining every Democrat in opposition. He was sworn in on Monday at the White House.

He had run the Justice Department in an acting capacity since April, when Trump removed Pam Bondi, and previously served as deputy attorney general. Before entering government, Blanche worked as Trump's personal defence lawyer during the New York criminal trial that ended in 34 felony convictions.

The confirmation fight exposed bipartisan worry about whether Blanche could lead the department independently of the president. His supporters point to a long career as a federal prosecutor in New York and reject any suggestion he would break the law.

Why It Matters for November

The warning landed the same week courts again clashed with the administration over how Americans will vote. Judges have blocked Trump's March order directing the US Postal Service to restrict mail ballots, and the administration has asked the Supreme Court to let the rules take effect before the 3 November midterms.

No evidence suggests the Justice Department has moved to seize machines or ballots, and Cobb's claim remains a prediction rather than a documented plan. The White House celebrated Blanche's arrival, and allies dismiss Hitler comparisons as overheated rhetoric that trivialises history.

Still, when a lawyer who once sat inside Trump's defence team says the nation's top prosecutor may target the vote, the question of how November's results are counted and certified moves closer to the centre of the campaign.