Trump picks lawyer Ty Cobb to handle Russia probe

Washington: US President Donald Trump on Saturday announced the appointment of a former federal prosecutor as special counsel, with US media reporting that he would manage issues linked to the Russia probe.

The brief White House statement said Ty Cobb a partner at the law firm Hogan Lovells in Washington  will serve as a "key member of the White House staff" as special counsel.

He will handle White House media responses stemming from ongoing investigations into Moscow's suspected meddling in the 2016 election and possible Trump campaign collusion, multiple US media reports said. 

The announcement of Cobb's hiring comes after a tumultuous week in Washington that saw allegations over Russia's role in the vote intensify, following reports that the US president's eldest son took a June 2016 meeting with a Kremlin-linked lawyer who was said to have damaging information on Hillary Clinton.

Cobb will coordinate with Trump's outside lawyer Marc Kasowitz, who is representing the president in connection to the Russia probe, according to ABC News.