What happens if his new toadies are as authoritarian and corrupt as he is?
by digby
John Kelly gave an exit interview to the LA Times:
Trump sometimes pressed his advisors on the limits of his authority under the law, often asking Kelly, “‘Why can’t we do it this way?’”
But Trump never ordered him to do anything illegal, Kelly stressed, “because we wouldn’t have.”
“If he had said to me, ‘Do it, or you’re fired,’” Kelly said he would have resigned.
Will Mick Mulvaney tell him what he wants to hear? Will Stephen Miller? Matt Whitaker? William Barr? White House counsel Pat Cippolone?
Would they quit if he ordered them to do something illegal?
I honestly don’t know. What I do know is that the president is a corrupt and possibly traitorous criminal with no moral or ethical compass. So we cannot count on him not to give that order. And as he’s backed into a corner more and more it’s likely he will be even more inclined to do it.
I have a feeling this question is going to become very relevant in 2019.
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Buckle up everybody. It’s going to be a very bumpy New Year …
cheers — digby
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