Kia ora and G’day
Trump’s impeachment defence was a veritable orgy of bad faith. It was, of course, bound to be thus, but that didn’t make it any less painful to sit through.
Perhaps nothing captures the inanity of the presentation better than the video montage highlighting times when Democrats and media figures have used fighting language, as if doing their so creates equivalency with Trump’s conduct leading up to, and during, January 6th.
The absurdity at play here was, like most things in MAGA-world, shocking if not surprising. The issue was never that Trump used the words “fight like hell”, but the circumstances in which he used them: in front of a baying mob of white nationalists he summoned to the Capitol to coincide with the certification of an election.
Eliding this context to suggest Trump was simply deploying standard-issue political rhetoric was textbook gaslighting, reminding me of this from Orwell’s 1984:
The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.
In fact, the entire defence existed within a world where January 6th never happened.
Conservative lawyer and NeverTrumper George Conway said this:
The “defense,” such as it was, rested on a single principal factual assertion: that Trump had spoken, exactly once, of “peaceful and patriotic protest” — during an 11,000-word speech. Never mind the rest of the speech. Never mind the weeks of “Stop the Steal” incitement that preceded it. Never mind Trump’s summoning his followers to the capital for a “wild” time on Jan. 6. Never mind the years-long record of Trump’s incendiary rhetoric.
Sadly, though, however craven the defense, it was more than enough to please the audience of one. Expect reports of a satisfied Trump.
Revelations Shed Doubt on Defense
Late in the day, there were a couple of important new details about what happened in those critical hours when Trump failed to quell the riot.
It appears the lawyers may have lied about another critical moment, denying the alleged call Trump made to Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville ever took place. This is important because Tuberville claims to have told Trump during the conversation that Pence had been evacuated from the chamber, despite White House claims they had no idea the VP was in any danger. Tuberville, a huge Trump backer, is standing by his account.
Minutes after this call, remember, now fully aware that the VP was in the rioter’s sights, Trump continued to attack him, tweeting "Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution".
Nikki Haley Profile
In other news, check out this devastating profile of former UN Ambassador, South Carolina Governor and 2024 hopeful Nikki Haley by Politico’s Tim Alberta. Haley’s pretzel-like contortions over Trump may be necessary for any ambitious Republican in the MAGA era, but it still isn’t pretty.
Like so many Republicans, she had expected Trump would either eke out a second term, putting a date-certain on the end of his presidency, or lose so lopsidedly that his career would be toast. Instead, he split the difference, losing by less than one percentage point in each of three decisive states, a result that sent him spiraling into delirium. The resulting paralysis could be seen across the GOP, but Haley was a special case. She knew she could not afford to antagonize the president. But her rationalizations for his behavior were so strained that they called into question her own judgment. This was a test for Haley, an early opportunity to define herself on a question of great national urgency. And she was failing.