This is falling apart for Donald Trump
Here’s the thing about the Mueller probe. We all knew going into it that Donald Trump and his people controlled the DOJ and that they were going to try to sabotage the probe at every turn. The only hope was that Robert Mueller, an aggressive prosecutor who had spent his entire career delivering results, would stand strong against that sabotage. But in the end Mueller just gave up on trying to do his job, and so Trump’s people were indeed able to sabotage his probe.
Here in 2021 it’s an entirely different ballgame. Donald Trump and his people do not control the White House, or the Department of Justice, or any aspect of the Executive Branch, or the January 6th Committee. In fact, because Kevin McCarthy flubbed things so badly, Trump doesn’t even have anyone on the January 6th Committee.
So here in 2021 we’re not reduced to hoping that one person manages to overcome sabotage from within at every turn. It’s nothing like that at all. And it’s why things are now going so badly for Donald Trump. Steve Bannon has been arrested. Mark Meadows is cooperating because he’s afraid of being arrested. Jeffrey Clark and John Eastman have decided to plead the fifth, which sets them up to ultimately be prosecuted for the things they’re pleading the fifth about, while allowing the committee to say to the general public, “See, we told you there were underling Trump crimes here!”
There’s a reason people like Meadows and Clark aren’t just arrogantly giving the committee the middle finger and then going about their business. They know that there are no magic wands this time. Donald Trump and his people do not control the DOJ, and therefore can’t sabotage any criminal cases against them. They know that Trump does not have pardon power. They can’t simply run out the clock and then magically get off the hook.
So instead Trump’s people are caving, either by giving each other up, or giving themselves up, and they’re eventually going to start giving him up. Trump is about to find out just how few people are willing to get criminally indicted in order to protect him, now that they know he doesn’t have any magic wands up his sleeve for getting them off the hook. This is falling apart for Trump, and it’ll only fall apart further as this goes on.
