Why Cobb keeps making ridiculous predictions about the end of Mueller's investigation

“I’d be embarrassed if this is still haunting the White House by Thanksgiving and worse if it’s still haunting him by year end,” Cobb told Reuters in August. In December, Cobb — who leads the White House’s legal response to Mueller’s Russia probe — told POLITICO he thought the special counsel could exonerate Trump by the end of January.

That has prompted snickering among some of Cobb’s peers. “When I see these predictions that Mueller will be done by Thanksgiving, year end, March 1, etc., I’m reminded that marijuana is legal in D.C. and wonder just who’s lighting up,” said a lawyer who represents a senior Trump aide immersed in the probe.

But a day after reports that Trump sought to fire Mueller in June, the rationale for his West Wing lawyer’s seeming over-optimism may be coming into clearer view.

Cobb, legal experts and political operatives say, has been trying to keep a lid on his temperamental client — downplaying the threat of Mueller’s investigation as a way of preventing Trump from firing him. As lawmakers of both parties have warned, that move would make matters only worse for Trump.

“I’ve thought for a long time that Cobb was speaking to an audience of one and that rigorous allegiance to reality was not a prerequisite,” the lawyer representing a Trump staffer added.

  Politico

At first blush, this sounds reasonable. But then you have to think about Cobb's actual position and Trump's personality. Trump's a blowhard, but he's not brave. And he's stupid beyond belief for someone his age and position, but he can't be put off that many times by someone telling him we're almost there. His behavior is very juvenile, but even as a toddler, he wasn't likely put off that easily. He's volatile and he wants what he wants NOW. I think he's scared to fire Mueller. He's the only one who could actually make that happen, and he hasn't done it. At this point, his fear is greater than his rage at being questioned. Cobb's bullshit is for Trump's base. They're possibly stupid enough to buy it, and they can't do anything about Mueller, so they'll keep repeating Cobb's assurances to each other: almost done, about to be cleared.

Cobb might also be pursuing a public relations goal — signaling to the outside world that Trump has nothing to hide from Mueller and that he is not obstructing justice.

That sounds more like it to me.

[T]he strategic divide over how to handle Mueller was on display just this week, after Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday that he was “looking forward” to speaking with Mueller under oath. In a statement hours later, Cobb hedged on whether Trump would testify under oath while affirming that the president is “looking forward to speaking with Mr. Mueller.”

Dowd, meanwhile, took a sharply different tack. “I will make the decision on whether the President talks to the special counsel,” he said in a statement the next day. “I have not made any decision yet.”

I don't see that as a strategic divide. Cobb was brought in by the White House counsel to manage the response to Mueller's investigation. Dowd is Trump's personal lawyer. I see that as Cobb and Trump still playing the public innocence game. They can say whatever they want to make Trump look like he's so very willing to cooperate because he has nothing to hide. Then Dowd can take the blaime for not letting him do it. Dowd might want to be careful how he conveys that, however. "I will make the decision," could trigger Trump's well-documented ire at anyone who says they're telling him what to do.

Having said that, it's absolutely possible, and even likely, that Cobb and Dowd do have differing strategies, since in the end, Cobb represents the office and Dowd represents Trump. I just don't think this example indicates any such difference.

Another challenge Cobb faces is just how much to encourage the president to speak to Mueller, given Trump’s history of fudging the truth, including in courtroom depositions from his real estate business.

Cobb on Thursday declined to comment on the media reports about Trump’s June call to fire Mueller “out of respect for the Office of the Special Counsel and its process.”

Therein lies Cobb's problem. He's got to protect the office from the man in it. That's why I think he offers obviously false information to the base, trying to keep them calm. When the press publishes one of those comments, that's what he's telling the press. Who knows what he's telling Trump? Undoubtedly nothing without McGahn and Dowd's presence.  Cobb definitely won't have the final say in what Trump does or doesn't do.  And who knows if even Dowd will?

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.