Donald Trump falls to pieces
The entire Trump administration appears to be disintegrating before our very eyes. The dominoes are falling, and it’s unclear who will remain once the dust settles.
Mike Pence appears to be complicit in something, given his posture in not properly responding to the Democrats’ request for documents. Innocent people don’t act like this. Politico reports that Energy Secretary Rick Perry appears to be planning his exit, and with the sheer amount of heat and bad optics the Trump administration is getting right now, I would be surprised to see a high retention rate. Keep in mind that as people leave their posts, they become more inclined to talk. It seems as though just about everyone who had vague power in the administration and who left went on to write a book about their experience.
Here’s a perfect example. Remember that last week, Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Kurt Volker, resigned as well. After meeting with lawmakers on Friday, the New York Post reported some of what Volker had to say: “The former US envoy to Ukraine told lawmakers during his closed-door testimony Thursday how Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s personal attorney, pressed for a probe into the Ukrainian gas company that hired Joe Biden’s son but knew of no quid pro quo, according to a copy of his statement.” (Note: For the record, a quid pro quo is not necessary for there to be a crime.)
In terms of hierarchy, envoys are not usually considered to be especially high up on the food chain. Imagine what the big guys know (e.g. Pompeo, Barr, Pence, Mulvaney). It’s going to get ugly once the big guys start talking.
Indeed, while writing this, the New York Times reported that “[a] second official with more direct information about President Trump and Ukraine is said to be considering whether to file a whistle-blower complaint.” We’re getting closer and closer to the meltdown, and it’s forcing us further into uncharted waters. Trump will, in a typical fashion, throw a Filet-O-Fish-fueled tantrum and admit to a slew of crimes on live television, and it’ll cause more people to talk, and more dominoes to fall. Stay tuned.
Democracy thrives in snarkiness