It’s over for Donald Trump
The verdict is in. This isn’t a verdict from a Judge. It’s a verdict from virtually every legal mind in politics. The legal experts have spoken! They all agreed that Donald Trump’s pleas for blanket immunity will not happen.
George Conway said that the arguments Trump’s legal team gave “made no sense.” “I was there in the courtroom,” he said. “And it was just, it was devastating.” Fox legal analysis, Johnathan Truly said Trump’s argument for immunity is “a dead letter with the panel.”
Glenn Kirschner said on Twitter that Trump is trying to claim immunity but “doesn’t seem to realize what he’s advocating for.” Laurence Tribe says, “The DC circuit appears firmly poised to reject Trump’s immunity claim.”
I could not find ONE intelligent legal mind who disagreed. This is, of course, because Trump’s legal team is offering an argument that’s insane. Think about it. What Judge on earth would rule that it’s perfectly fine to assassinate one’s political rivals, sell pardons, take bribes, and use the Military as a weapon of destruction?
In court the other day, Trump’s attorney seemed increasingly desperate. I listened . My ears, in particular, perked up when Trump’s attorney said that not granting Trump immunity would open up a “Pandora’s box.”
Being the student of Mythology that I am, of course, I am pleased when any Mythological terminology comes up. However, this was the wrong argument, and I’ll explain why.
Trump and his attorney have made the ‘Pandora’s box” argument. If Trump is not given immunity, they explain, Pandora’s box could be opened, whereas many presidents could face prosecution.
Ah, the stupidity of bad legal arguments. I submit that box was opened YEARS ago. I even wrote an article for Palmer Report called “The opening of Pandora’s box.” The GOP were the ones who opened it when they let themselves be consumed by a fire-breathing insurrectionist.
I humbly offer a different metaphor that also has its roots in Mythology. It’s a metaphor for what Trump and his legal team are doing. They are trying to push the rock up the hill — with virtually NO success.
In Mythology, Sisyphus was the king of what is now known as Corinth.He engaged in behavior the Gods didn’t like. His punishment was to roll a massive boulder up a hill. That doesn’t sound bad.
Well, the thing is — every time this boulder neared the top of the hill — it would roll back down. Sisyphus had to spend the rest of eternity doing this. Time and again, Trump’s legal team begs for permission to permit them to get the rock up the hill, but they keep getting slapped down and have to start all over again.
But they have to do their jobs! They mustn’t give up! So they continue on the same losing course, over and over, trying to push that gigantic boulder up the hill, up, up, around and over again, as they are doomed to do for the foreseeable future.