Trump world’s desperate endgame
There are many kinds of cowardice, fear of speaking out against an injustice, and fear of getting caught committing an injustice, to name two. Many perceive Pence as courageous for not succumbing to pressure from Trump to overturn the 2020 presidential election. But until then, Pence cowered to Trump remaining silent in the face of his corruption. Then on January 6th Pence defied Trump, not out of courage, but out of fear of getting caught.
Similarly, for years former AG Bill Barr and others actively supported Trump’s destruction of democracy for fear of giving up one inch of GOP power. Now, when faced with real consequences, they have defied Trump, testifying against him to the J6 committee, out of fear of being caught. Obstruction, corruption, and gaslighting of Americans were fine for these cowards. But an illegal coup attempt was off limits.
There is another kind of cowardice. Those who are willing to violently overthrow our democracy because they are too cowardly to accept that they LOST. That brings us to Ginni Thomas. Justice Thomas has remained silent about his wife Ginni’s alleged crimes. The Thomases have put the “coup” back in couple, as many have joked. Do THEY have limits? Justice Thomas takes full advantage of his SCOTUS exemption from quaint rules imposed on lower courts such as recusal. Ginni seems to think she is also exempt from the rule of law, dismissing her crimes, even when caught red handed.
But, as we have seen from the January 6th hearings so far, the Committee does not make accusations they cannot back up with concrete evidence and first-hand witness testimony, from Republicans, no less. Will Justice Thomas view the evidence with the same clear-eyed contrition as Luttig, and Barr? Will he stand by as his beloved wife is publicly raked over the coals, shackled, and carted off to prison? Or will he offer himself up and resign his SCOTUS seat?
The Justices are desperate to restore trust in SCOTUS. The pressure is on. What kind of coward is Justice Thomas?
Chicago native Lorraine Evanoff earned her degree in French from DePaul University then became a Certified Financial Manager. She worked as a finance exec in film production for seven years in Paris, then in Silicon Valley during the dot-com era, and later for various Hollywood production companies, notably as CFO of National Lampoon. She is currently living in Los Angeles with her husband.