Ty Cobb, a former prosecutor who served as a White House lawyer during President Donald Trump's first term and represented the administration during the Mueller investigation, has asserted that Trump's nominee for attorney general, Todd Blanche, has disqualified himself through his conduct while serving as acting attorney general.

Speaking in a video produced for the Justice Connection coalition, Cobb argued that the Justice Department deserves a nominee free of compromising ties to the president. "Every assistant takes an oath, and the oath is basically to swear loyalty to the Constitution, not to an individual," Cobb said. "People that I know who have served in the administrations of the past 50 years of my professional career have all been people who devoted themselves to the country, not to an individual."

Cobb went further, alleging that under Blanche's leadership the United States is "much less safe" and that the Justice Department "has never been in worse shape."

Central to Cobb's criticism are ethical concerns. His video included a clip of Blanche thanking Trump for bringing him to the White House and telling the president, "I love you, sir." Another clip featured an exchange from Blanche's Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, during which Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) asked whether Blanche was "friends" with Trump.

"I'm his lawyer," Blanche replied, before quickly correcting himself: "Was his lawyer."

The exchange reflected an unusual dynamic for an attorney general nominee: Blanche had served as Trump's personal defense attorney in the Manhattan criminal hush-money case before being tapped for the department's top role.

Cobb accused Blanche of pursuing political retribution through the department. "Blanche has taken efforts and measures in his short time as acting attorney general to pursue revenge prosecutions. I think that's something that is disqualifying to be attorney general," Cobb said. "The ethical lines between the Department of Justice and the White House are very clear. I've been on both sides. It's important that the Justice Department be independent if the rule of law is to be sustained in America."

The independence Cobb invoked has been a bedrock norm of the department for decades, reinforced by post-Watergate reforms designed to insulate federal law enforcement from political direction by the White House.

Under Blanche, Cobb warned, "there will be no ethical lines between the White House and the attorney general." He added that one of the biggest problems is that "there are no lines now," and he closed by calling Blanche "unfit" to serve in the role.

The Justice Connection coalition, which has been gathering statements from former DOJ alumni, describes its mission on its website as fighting "to protect DOJ's apolitical workforce and uphold the rule of law." The group states: "Right now, FBI agents, civil rights attorneys, prosecutors, national security experts and so many others are being fired, involuntarily transferred or placed on administrative leave. Many more fear they'll be next."

The coalition has also organized a letter (PDF) signed by more than 1,200 former Justice Department employees spanning 14 previous administrations. The letter alleges that Blanche has dismantled the DOJ by fostering a culture of fear and carrying out dismissals based on the work those employees were assigned to handle.

The Justice Connection coalition's website is available at thejusticeconnection.org.