Trumpster Diving

  • It’s sobering that none of the revelations in “I Alone Can Fix It” by Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig are shocking—from Donald Trump’s COVID mishandling to his catalytic role in re-election chaos and insurrection. That includes the gut feelings of Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who, in uniform, had accompanied Trump—infamously—for his Bible photo-op after the violent clearing of Lafayette Square. He had sensed a “Reichstag moment” days before the Capitol riot. According to Milley, the U.S. under Trump was experiencing its own version of the late Weimar Republic—complete with modern “Brownshirts.” Too bad the general, who was a first-hand witness to an America imperiled by an unhinged demagogue with a cabinet of cowards, didn’t speak out when it mattered most.
  • “Old Crow.” That’s how Trump recently referenced Minority Leader Mitch McConnel. “Old Crow’s” response: “Actually, it’s quite an honor. Old Crow is Henry Clay’s favorite bourbon.” Whatever.
  • To date, none of the more than 500 defendants in the Capitol attack have been indicted for sedition—or treason. The main reason: legal complexity—not that it wasn’t, uh, sort of seditious.
  • “If you’re scared to tell the truth to people, I understand, but you need to find a different line of work.”—Republican Rep. Adam Kinsinger of Illinois, who has spoken out against the “Big Lie” that the presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump.
  • Steve Bannon, no surprise, has a different take on said “Big Lie.” It’s a GOPster litmus test, he asserts. “There will not be a Republican that wins a primary for 2022—not one—that doesn’t take the pledge to get to the bottom of Nov. 3,” predicted Bannon.
  • “Many of the people who hectored the Obama Administration about debt seemed to reveal a lot about their true motives by going quiet during the Trump years.”—Paul Krugman, New York Times.

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