Our national nightmare may be nearing climax
Alan Chartock: Little by little, we are moving closer to the climax of the current national nightmare.
Little by little, we are moving closer to the climax of the current national nightmare. Mueller is at work, surrounded by the best and the brightest in prosecutorial excellence. We are talking accountants and investigators, and, one step at a time, a case is being assembled. Grand juries have been empaneled. A number of Trump subordinates have been indicted and some have pleaded out their guilt. Trump wants to fire those who might bring them down.
In the meantime, Donald Trump continues on his merry way, oblivious to the norms traditionally followed by public servants. This should surprise no one because it is exactly how he behaved as a businessman. He lied, he obfuscated, he didn’t keep his word and, according to many, he didn’t care about anyone else.
Now he is confronted by the threat of Mueller, which is exactly why he has to fire the special counsel. He really has no choice. If allowed to continue, Mueller will surely bring him down. So it is up to Mueller and his team to continue to play three dimensional chess with Trump, who is really, really good at outthinking his opponents. Further, Trump has no real regard for anyone else and doesn’t give a damn about playing by established rules. So we come down to the end game.
To get to Mueller, Trump will have to fire his despicable attorney general, Jeff Sessions. Then he will have to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and replace him with someone who, for a few pieces of gold, will fire Mueller.
In the beginning, the miscreant Republicans in the Senate and the House spoke up and said that if the president were to fire Mueller, there would be a constitutional crisis (whatever that means). As of late, however, they have shown absolutely no guts. These cretins want to stay in office and in the majority, no matter what the price. They are the opposite of “profiles in courage.” The only thing that might put a stop to Trump’s machinations would be if control of at least the House of Representatives and maybe the Senate were to turn Democratic. That now seems possible, as even Speaker Ryan’s district in Wisconsin may be prepared to throw him out. A spate of recent Democratic victories presages such a change, meaning impeachment by the House at the very least.
That’s why the recent flurry of activity, including the firing of Andrew McCabe by the president, is shifting into high gear. The whole idea is to get rid of Mueller. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Stormy Daniels has now entered the history books in a way that few could have imagined. Her lawyer has suggested that there are videos and text messages that will surely prove very problematic for the president and his followers in the evangelistic community who, up to now, have been giving Trump a Mulligan (excusing him). There are possibly limits to that Mulligan, particularly among white women who helped elect Trump, perhaps as a part of the Trump “Keep America White” campaign.
So now we are at the end. The rush is on. Trump really has no choice but to fire Mueller and that has to be done before the midterm elections. After that, his goose will be cooked.
There is something to be said for the advantages that Trump has brought to our politics. The Democrats have to know that the day of inside players in the party is over. Trump has brought us so close to fascism and totalitarian rule that the people’s interest has to be brought forward. The new era of greed means that new laws will have to be passed, like the passing of a special prosecutor law that would protect someone like Mueller from being fired. In the meantime, let’s hope that Mueller has a few defensive ideas up his sleeve.