Yesterday I wrote about evidence of a TrumpRussia conspiracy in the prosecution docs.
A follower asked: Did Trump think he’d get away with all of this?
The answer (I believe) is yes.
Seems to me Trump had a 2-part plan.
#1: [If he wins] shut down all investigations.
He always behaves as if he can run the US executive branch the way he runs his businesses (and charity!)
He’s the boss. Everyone else obeys his orders.
When that didn’t work, he evidently believed firing Comey would solve the problem.
That didn't work, so he vowed to fight back.
politico.com/story/2018/04/…
This strategy is known as obstructing justice, and it’s illegal.
Denyse asks if Trump knows his goose is cooked legally.
I don’t think he believes he’s cooked.
Which brings us to Part 2 of his plan: Undermine factuality and rule of law.
Consider this:
projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval…
See how GOP congress members fall in line?
Suddenly committing crimes is No Big Deal!
The strategy includes the Deep State Defense, which goes like this: All of our institutions are rotten, so we can’t believe anything that comes out of them. Or the corollary: Everyone does it, so going after me is political.
The Putin-Trump methods are not complex or hard: Tell a stream of absurd lies while state TV (Fox, etc) acts like it’s normal.
Timothy Snyder calls it “governing by crisis and spectacle”👇
“Yeah but," you ask, "what about when he's indicted?”
Remember: without facts, there's no Rule of Law.
Without Rule of Law, jury verdicts have no meaning and it doesn't matter what an investigation turns up.
People who are not paying close attention get confused.
His critics are kept busy playing Whack-a-Lie.
The plan is that eventually people wear out and give up.
If you missed my Slate article, it’s here👇
slate.com/news-and-polit…
We have a seemingly contradictory situation:
The GOP spent years obsessed with Clinton “crimes.”
But if Trump commits real crimes, that’s OK.
Do I think Trump will get away with it?
No, certainly not.
But Trump thinks he will.
In Trump’s world, Cult of Leadership seems stronger than Rule of Law.
GOP disregard for rules goes way back.