Thread by @dsamuelsohn

"It's like the PLO in the '70s," said Mark Corallo, a former spokesman for Trump's personal legal team, likening the Trump protestors to the Palestine Liberation Organization. "This is sickening." by @tomlobianco & me ($) in @Politicsinsider ow.ly/96EG50D1W96

The closing image of Trump's presidency became one of police barring doors against an angry mob, w/ guns drawn. The "American carnage" Trump promised he would end 4 years ago when he was inaugurated at the Capitol had now broken into the very same building — at his instigation.

Behind the scenes, WH aides prodded Trump to call on his supporters to end the violent protests. Ultimately, they needed about 2 hours before Trump released a brief message that appeared to be taped from just outside the White House asking his supporters to "go home."

A Republican close to the White House who had earlier Wednesday backed a last-ditch effort to persuade Pence to throw out the election results distanced themselves from what took place a few hours later. Their concern centered in part around the political fallout for the GOP.

"Even I would not have taken this route," the person said. "Now the Republicans will be labeled the party of violence."

But even as the mob escalated, some Trump allies brushed away concerns. Ivanka Trump, long considered Trump's most powerful advisor along with husband Jared Kushner, called the protestors "American patriots" in a tweet also asking them to go home. She later deleted the tweet.

One Republican close to Roger Stone and the Trump campaign dismissed the protests as "just a circus" and said it would all blow over by Thursday morning.

But other Trump advisors said it may be impossible to stem the damage to American democracy caused by Trump's mob.

"FUBAR," said one Trump campaign advisor when asked about what happens after Wednesday afternoon's insurrection at the Capitol. That's a military shorthand reference that means "F---ed Up Beyond All Recognition."

"I'm disgusted by the actions at the US Capitol today," the Trump campaign advisor said. "Those are not the actions of conservatives and True Trump supporters. We can not stand for violence and must condemn it in the strongest terms."

Asked if he thought Trump should resign because of Wednesday's events, former Trump legal team spox Mark Corallo took a long pause before replying: "I think that I would like to hear from the president. I'd like to give him one more chance to redeem himself."

More Corallo: "But if he doesn't have it in himself to call for a real peaceful transition in 14 days and if he continues to egg on his supporters, if he continues to attack members of his own party who he doesn't feel...

... are supporting his effort to overturn the election strongly enough, then he ought to resign. If this is just too much for him to take," Corallo continued, "he ought to step down and say, 'I think Mike Pence should finish off the next two weeks.'"

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