The Trump pendulum
At a Mystery Writers of America lunch this weekend, the guest speaker, a recently retired FBI agent, provided assurances that the FBI is an apolitical institution that will withstand Trump’s criminal administration. The ensuing Q&A was heated, we mystery writers being avid scholars of espionage, organized crime, and murder. The speaker even admitted that everything most people know about law enforcement is through mystery novels.
Anyway, he said that we have survived similar times, such as the McCarthy era. McCarthyism convinced voters that America was infiltrated by communists. Today, the media convinced Americans that a miraculous economy and immigrants are a problem, and that an accomplished woman had to sleep her way to the top.
He also explained that all FBI and military staff have taken an oath to uphold the Constitution. For Trump to fire government officials en masse, or order the DOJ to investigate and arrest dozens of political foes, as laid out in Project 2025, he would need the cooperation of thousands of government personnel. But, he said, “The FBI is the United States, and the United States is the FBI.” Trump won less than 32% of all eligible voters in 2024, so arguably one in four of our government personnel would comply with Trump’s demands, at most.
The entire DOJ and FBI would have to disregard protocols, FISA, and DIOG, including the three phases of the process: Assessment, Preliminary Inquiry, and Investigation (with probable cause), required to initiate a Title 3 (legal authority) for getting a wire, for example. All of this creates insurmountable burdens for Trump.
In a way, this election demonstrated that democracy is still functioning. Having over-performed for the past six years since Trump’s midterm elections, Democrats have mostly been in control. Being in power for so long made it easy for the grievance bubble to blame Democrats for their manufactured outrage. Whether Biden or Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate faced the inertia of the pendulum swing.
The grievance bubble finally burst, covering America with slime. But Democrats will be here to clean up the Republican mess, once again. Democrats use their power for good, with the first black President, the first two female presidential candidates, and many other milestones. The GOP uses their power for evil. Trump has turned this transition into a macabre display to mock Republican fealty by making outlandish cabinet nominations. The only options for Republicans are compliance or defiance. And we are already seeing signs of defiance.
A friend confessed to me that he’s a diehard Independent who voted for Jill Stein November 5th, on a single issue, Palestinians. In response to my outrage, he scoffed at MAGA and reminded me that Americans defeated the British with no organized militia, and that we will defeat the enemy again. Yes, Americans take crazy risks. But we also kick the enemy’s ass.
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.